Revisiting the 2020 NFL Draft: How have the top 3 quarterbacks fared?

Modified Mar 21, 2023 17:24 GMT

AFC Championship - Cincinnati Bengals v Kansas City Chiefs — Quarterback Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals

The 2020 NFL draft will be one of history's most stacked quarterback drafts. It had potential Hall of Famers, current Pro Bowl selections and a perennial league MVP candidate. NFL analysts consistently predicted that the draft class would be unique, but three years later, few would have expected it to be that special.

In this article, we will focus on the first three QBs selected in the draft: Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert, and how they have fared. It has been three years since the three players entered the league, so it's high time that we take stock of their exploits.

Joe Burrow's NFL Career so far

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Joe Burrow as the first overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft, and the Bengals struck gold with Joe Cool.

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Burrow is a top-three quarterback in the NFL and is the only starting QB in today's league with a winning record over Patrick Mahomes. Burrow is an unflappable shot caller and is known to thrive under pressure rather than wilt under it.

His throwing mechanics are improving with each game, and he has an offense in Cincinnati that operates on his wavelength. Few teams have hit on the number one overall pick like the Cincinnati Bengals have with Joe Burrow, and just like he said, "the Bengals' Super Bowl window is 'my whole career.'"

Burrow has amassed an NFL stat line of 11,774 passing yards, 82 touchdowns, and 31 interceptions in 42 games.

Tua Tagovailoa's NFL Career so far

Heading into the 2019-20 college season, Tua Tagovailoa was considered a consensus first-overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft.

He was fresh off usurping a certain Jalen Hurts from the QB1 slot at the Alabama Crimson Tide and playing winning football. However, due to Burrow's improbable NCAA title run with the LSU Tigers, Tagovailoa and every other QB were battling for a distant second place in the 2020 NFL draft. Tagovailoa's college injury record didn't help, as it scared some potential teams from taking a closer look at the Bama starter.

The Miami Dolphins didn't care, though, as they drafted Tagovailoa as the fifth overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft and the second QB off the board. He became an instant starter with the Dolphins and has been a solid QB when fit. Currently, there are questions about his health, though.

He led the Dolphins to their first postseason appearance in a while and was an elite passer for most of 2022. For his career, Tagovailoa has put up a stat line of 8,015 passing yards, 52 touchdowns and 23 interceptions in 36 games.

Justin Herbert's NFL Career so far

The Los Angeles Chargers selected Justin Herbert as the sixth pick of the 2020 NFL draft as the long-term successor to Chargers legend Phillip Rivers.

Call us crazy, but it's not a stretch to say that Herbert has a higher ceiling than the future Hall of Famer Rivers. The Chargers drafted Herbert following a stellar season as a senior at Oregon State University. He was drafted as a possible developmental QB, but there's nothing temporary about Herbert's play style. Herbert started his first NFL game in week three of the 2020 NFL season and hasn't looked back since.

Like his contemporaries in the 2020 NFL draft, Herbert has led his team to a postseason berth, and the sky is the limit for the accurate shot caller. Since entering the league, Herbert has put up a stat line of 14,089 passing yards, 94 touchdowns and 35 interceptions. He's one of the best passers in the NFL today.