Tom Brady’s family waited through six rounds in 2000 before he was finally taken at No. 199, a wait that turned into the most famous steal in NFL history. For Joe Burrow’s family, the wait was the opposite: the destination was almost certain, but the worry was no less real. The Cincinnati Bengals QB’s mother, Robin Burrow, revealed what she felt before the crucial announcement. Interestingly, her focus was entirely technical.

“I was mostly worried that the audiovisual stuff wasn’t going to work because I was the one who had to set it up,” Robin said on the Bengals Beat Podcast. “So, it all came in a box, and I had to set it all up, and I was worried that our Wi-Fi would go out, and I was mostly worried about that.”

Robin Burrow’s worry had nothing to do with whether her son would be drafted. Instead, she was focused on making sure the family’s draft-night setup ran smoothly. She had a reason to feel that way.

After all, Joe Burrow was a sure shot to be picked in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Before his 2019 season at LSU, Burrow wasn’t even projected to be a first-round pick. However, his explosive rise during that season left NFL scouts with absolutely no doubt that he was a generational talent.

In 2019, Joe put up video-game-like numbers against the toughest competition in college football. His 60 passing touchdowns set the then-NCAA FBS record for the most passing touchdowns in a single season.

With a 76.3% completion percentage, he also broke the all-time Heisman record for accuracy, finally wrapping up the season by leading the LSU Tigers to a perfect 15-0 record and a National Championship.

As a result, the Bengals waited no time in selecting Joe Burrow with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.

Burrow is now in his seventh NFL season, all with the Bengals. However, he has yet to replicate the promise he showed in 2019, when he threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns.

So far, the Bengals QB has crossed the 4,000 passing yards mark only three times and has yet to win a Super Bowl.

Entering the 2026 season, though, Burrow has been highly vocal and confident about winning one. His mindset has been defined by an intense sense of urgency to finally bring a championship to Cincinnati.

During training camp, Joe made headlines by pushing his mindset for the season.

“I’m trying to put it out in the world; I’m trying to manifest it,” Joe said in August. “I’m trying to show our guys the urgency that I have, and that I want us to have as an organization to go and make it happen. You can keep pushing it down the road, or you can talk about it now and say this is the year. I’m tired of saying next year, next year, next year. This is it.”

Joe also compared the energy of the 2026 Bengals to his 2019 LSU national championship team. It will be interesting to see if he can turn that confidence into results as the season goes on.

As things stand, the Bengals are 3-2 and gearing up to face the Baltimore Ravens on October 25.