2020 NFL Draft: Joe Burrow joins Cam Newton in exclusive Triple Crown club

As the top choice of the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow joins Cam Newton as the only players to win the Heisman, national championship and be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in the same year.

Joe Burrow becoming the first pick in the draft puts him in an exclusive club.

Burrow was drafted first overall by the Cincinnati Bengals during the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23. The former LSU Tiger took the NCAA by storm capping his career by winning the Heisman and a national championship. Those three accomplishments in one year put him in a triple crown club where he joins only Cam Newton.

In Newton’s year at Auburn, he had won the Heisman, National Championship Game and was drafted first overall by the Carolina Panthers in 2011. Newton became the immediate starter for the Panthers and was the first rookie quarterback to throw for 400-plus yards in his first two starts. He went on to win Rookie of the Year in 2011 and rushed for a quarterback-record of 14 touchdowns.

Newton went on to become a franchise quarterback for the Panthers from 2011-19. In 2015, he led a franchise-best 15-1 Panthers team to a Super Bowl appearance the same year he won league MVP.

Seeing all that Newton accomplished should bring excitement to a Bengals fanbase. The Bengals need a franchise quarterback who can bring them to the postseason and then some. After all, the Bengals haven’t been to a Super Bowl since the 1988 season and have yet to win a postseason game in this Millennium. With Burrow, the future seems brighter. Especially if he continues the path Newton took.

When it comes to the triple crown club it is worth noting that now free agent Jameis Winston accomplished all of those things as well. While Winston is not a member of that exclusive club because he didn’t do it all in the same year. He won the Heisman and Florida State won the national championship the year before he was the No. 1 pick after his redshirt sophomore year.  When evaluating this club, it is worth noting as the Bengals would hope Burrow turns out to be their guy as Winston wasn’t the case in Tampa Bay.

Winston had some success in the NFL but just didn’t pan out for the Buccaneers. He was a Rookie of the Year winner, a Pro Bowler in 2015 and led the league in passing yards in 2019. Where Winston fell short was his leadership and turnovers. With coaching turnover and suspensions for off the field troubles, Winston was never able to be the guy for the Buccaneers.

The 2019 season, Winston’s fifth year, was symbolic of his tenure there. They fell short of the playoffs and while leading the league in passing, he was the first player to throw for over 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season. For every good, there was always a negative.

Now they have replaced Winston with Tom Brady.

The Bengals want their guy for the future to last more than five years. Burrow has the tools to be successful. He has a strong arm and will have two receiving threats in A.J. Green and Tyler Boyd. As an immediate starter, he does have the weapons to be a Rookie of the Year winner like Newton and Winston. More importantly, Bengals need to give him a foundation so he is set up for success for years to come.

There’s no denying the tripe crown club is a special set accomplishment for a player before their first NFL snap. However, where will this lead to with Burrow will be the burning question in Cincinnati. With his closest counterparts being Newton and Winston, the comparisons are out there. The Bengals will be betting that Burrow can take the path of Newton and then some.

Now that the Bengals have drafted their guy, they are certainly betting on him being closer to Newton than Winston.