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LSU Tigers quarterback Joe Burrow is the picture of confidence ahead of this year’s NFL Draft. After winning last year’s Heisman Trophy, he was shown a picture of himself and asked, “does this look like a Heisman Trophy winner.” Later he was asked what would he tell the kid right now. He replied, “looks like a national champion.”

In his final collegiate season, he passed for over 5,600 yards with 60 touchdowns. The performance won admirers all over with the 23-year-old expected to be the top draft pick this week.

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This will see him take his talents to Cincinnati where he will feature for ‘The Bengals’ in September. It will be a tough challenge for the young quarterback if he elects to sign with the team that drafts him. This is because they finished rock bottom of the AFC in 2019. 

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However, one former quarterback and top pick of the 1998 draft is backing Burrow.

Peyton Manning backs Joe Burrow to succeed

On SportsCenter, Peyton Manning revealed he got a phone call from Burrow.  

Manning said, “if you’re the first pick in the draft, you are going to a team that has earned the first pick. There are gouges to be some holes there. There’s a reason the Colts were picking No.1 that year. There’s a reason the Bengals are picking No.1 this year.” 

The Bengals have not won a playoff game since 1991. They haven’t featured in the playoffs for 5 years. Last season they cobbled up a 2-14 win-loss record which equaled their all-time worst record.

It will be a learning experience said Manning who encourages rookies that their initiation in the NFL will be poles apart from the senior years where they were the best. He revealed that he lost more games in his first season than he had throughout his school and college career. 

However, in a telling sign of Burrow’s quality Manning backed the youngster to break his long-standing record. Manning threw a rookie record 28 interceptions in 1998. 

“That’s still an NFL record. If Joe wants to break that, I’d be okay with that. We’d still be friends.”

Will we see any shocker on draft day? Or will Joe Burrow be the expected top-pick? 

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Reubyn Coutinho

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Reubyn Coutinho is the Head of Fact-Checking Initiatives and Content Quality Lead at EssentiallySports, where he oversees editorial quality across multiple sports verticals. A Communication graduate, he’s spent over five years shaping the site’s evolution from a niche sports blog into an all-in-one news platform, mentoring more than 110 journalists, introducing data-driven article improvements, and developing editorial guidelines for global audiences. Across his career at ES, Reubyn has worked as a writer, editor, and senior editor, covering everything from UFC, WWE, and boxing to F1, NFL, NBA, and tennis. His bylines include exclusive interviews with former UFC champions Demetrious Johnson and Miesha Tate, as well as combat sports stars Marcus Almeida and Sage Northcutt. Known for his meticulous eye, he regularly resolves headline debates, revisits trending pieces using live analytics, and sets the standard for high-quality sports reporting. Outside of sports media, Reubyn is an active film critic, contributing reviews and festival coverage to Netflix Junkie, where he’s covered events such as MAMI, Venice, and NYAFF. Whether he’s breaking down a championship fight or a Hitchcock classic, his work comes with deep research with a pure love for sport.

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