The NFL postseason didn’t disappoint, filled with closely fought matchups throughout the playoffs. Super Bowl LVI was more of the same as the Los Angeles Rams pulled just ahead of the Cincinnati Bengals to secure a 23-20 victory thanks to the efforts of defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the Bengals’ last play of the game.
There is a lot to break down from this game and since the NFL is a reactionary league, some of the key elements of it could have bearing on how teams draft in the future. Here’s a look into a few things that stood out about this one that will leave GMs with something to think about ahead of the 2022 NFL Draft and the drafts that follow it.
To Draft or Not to Draft a QB in the First Round?
Perhaps this was the most unique part of this matchup — Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford were both selected at No. 1 overall in the years they were drafted. There should hardly be a question at this point that Burrow is a generational talent — he has consistently defied the odds since coming off the bench at Ohio State, transferring to LSU, a program that had been largely mediocre at quarterback for years and hadn’t seen its signal-callers perform particularly well in the NFL. Instead of becoming another name on that list, Burrow changed the narrative, more than serviceable in his first year there, then going on to shatter multiple records and lead his team to an undefeated season finished out with a national championship. Burrow, while surrounded with a high level of talent with players like wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson on the team, was one of the Tigers’ most important players and was largely credited for the success they had during that historic 2019 season.
After he was selected by the Bengals in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft, it took little time…
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