Burrow, not Tagovailoa, could be top QB pick
Since the early stages of the Miami Dolphins’ rebuild, many fans have viewed Alabama star quarterback Tua Tagovailoa as a potential franchise savior.
While it’s been assumed the Nick Saban disciple would be the first overall pick, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow is skyrocketing up NFL draft boards — and some analysts think he may be the best overall prospect.
Jockeying with the Cincinnati Bengals (0-8) for the No. 1 pick, the Dolphins (0-6) clearly need a game-changing quarterback — and the emergence of Burrow has fueled speculation that he will be the top pick in April’s draft.
In their most recent mock drafts, Pro Football Focus and CBS Sports both have Burrow as the top pick in the 2020 draft. In the midst of a breakout season, the senior has dominated SEC opponents through the first eight games. The 6-foot-4 Burrow has completed 78.8% of his passes for 2,805 yards, 30 touchdowns and four interceptions for unbeaten LSU.
“Burrow has sustained elite play every game for half a season,” Pro Football Focus wrote in its report of Burrow. “He’s torched one of the best secondaries in college football. He’s got a stronger arm and quicker release than Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa.
“We’ve never seen a quarterback with a higher passing grade through the first seven weeks of the season. He may not be at the top of boards right now, but he’s shooting his way up there.”
While many outlets still have Tagovailoa,
who’s dealing with an ankle injury, atop the board, PFF projected the Alabama signal caller at No. 10 to the Los Angeles Chargers.
CBS Sports has also pushed Burrow to No. 1 in its latest mock draft. Ironically, it has the Dolphins still selecting Tagovailoa at No. 2 since the Bengals currently hold the worst record.
Meanwhile, the two highly touted signal callers will face each other in two weeks in what’s poised to be an epic showdown between the No. 1 and No. 2 teams in the country.
BRONCOS: Broncos quarterback Joe Flacco has a herniated disk in his neck that puts his season and possibly his career in jeopardy and leaves Denver’s dysfunctional offense in the hands of a trio of quarterbacks who have never taken a regular-season snap in the NFL.
Coach Vic Fangio only ruled out Flacco for next weekend, when the Broncos (2-6) host the Cleveland Browns (2-5), saying, “He’ll definitely miss this week. Then we’ll evaluate after the bye and see where it’s at.”
Fangio said Flacco was taken for an MRI on Monday and he wasn’t sure if surgery was necessary.
“They don’t know that yet. I think right at this minute, they don’t think so,” Fangio said.
Former Arkansas QB Brandon Allen, whom the Broncos claimed off waivers from the Rams last month, will get his first start Sunday since leading the Razorbacks past Kansas State 45-23 in the Liberty Bowl on Jan. 2, 2016.
JETS-GIANTS: The Big Cat is joining
Big Blue.
The New York Jets traded defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Giants on Monday for a third-round draft pick next year and a fifth-rounder in 2021, according to a person with direct knowledge of the deal.
Williams was the No. 6 overall pick of the Jets in 2015 and made the Pro Bowl in his second season, but never truly lived up to his lofty draft status. He has 17 career sacks, but none in seven games this season for the struggling Jets. He actually had one in New York’s 29-15 loss at Jacksonville on Sunday that was negated by a penalty on a teammate.
MORE JETS: C.J. Mosley won’t be back anytime soon for the New York Jets.
The star linebacker will miss five to six more weeks as he continues to deal with a groin injury that has sidelined him for most of the season.
Coach Adam Gase said Monday that Mosley will try to avoid surgery, with the hope he might be able to return during the final weeks.
CHARGERS: The Los Angeles Chargers fired offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt on Monday night, shaking up the coaching staff after a disappointing first half of the season.
Coach Anthony Lynn said in a statement that it was not an easy decision to let go of Whisenhunt, but that he felt a change was necessary. Lynn did not name an interim coordinator, but he did run Buffalo’s offense during most of the 2016 season before coming to Los Angeles in 2017. The Chargers’ next game is against Green Bay on Sunday.