National Football League

Driver's Seat Joe

Updated Feb. 19, 2020 2:58 p.m. ET

"With the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals select Tua Tagovailoa."

We know – sounds senseless.

But, if you think about it, it actually makes all the sense in the world.

Lately, Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow seems to be inching closer to his Cincinnati exit before he even arrives.

The Bengals hold the No. 1 pick in this year's draft. And with Burrow having spent most of his formative years in Ohio and originally attending Ohio State, it's only right that he's a Bengal.

But right isn't always perfect.

And in a perfect world, college football's top quarterback would go in his rightful position.

Think about it. If Burrow refuses to play in Cincinnati, everyone wins.

Joe doesn't have to face the pressure to turn a franchise around in his "home" state, the Bengals can select college's best quarterback over the past three years in Tua Tagovailoa, and Tua – coming off of a devastating hip injury – is back on top with something to prove.

For the football world to be centered, all Burrow has to do is "pull an Eli."

That message coming from Carson Palmer, one of the greatest quarterbacks in Bengals history, is saying something, and some think Burrow should take heed.

History has not been kind to the Bengals organization.

Cincinnati doesn't have a playoff win since 1990. In fact, it's been so long since they won a playoff game that the team they beat – the Houston Oilers – doesn’t exist anymore.

But, they have taken steps to improve the team.

They drafted Alabama offensive tackle Jonah Williams with the 11th pick last year, they have an elite running back in Joe Mixon, and with the right quarterback, they could rewrite history.

If Tua didn't get hurt at the end of this college football season, wouldn't he be the shoo-in No. 1 pick?

Tua – who is two years younger than Burrow – won the National Championship at Alabama in 2017 and was named Offensive MVP in that game. His career starting record is 22-2, and those two losses came at the hands of opponents ranked in the top two.

In Alabama history, his stats speak loudly.