Upon entering the NFL 2020 Draft, there were a series of rumors involving Justin Herbert and where the former caller to Oregon could end up going. With the No. 6 pick, the Los Angeles Chargers finally recruited Herbert as many expected to happen when the recruiting order was established at the end of the NFL season. But in the last few weeks before the NFL Draft, rumors surfaced about almost every NFL team that needed a quarterback and Herbert.
Would Miami take Herbert at number 5 instead of Tua Tagovailoa? Would the Patriots make a change for Justin Herbert? And would the Cincinnati Bengals use No. 1 pick or trade it for Herbert instead of Joe Burrow?
The speculation began with several prominent NFL analysts who made that prediction, notably Lance Zeirlein of NFL.com and Peter King of NBC Sports.
“I heard that there are some within Bengalis who are true believers in Herbert,” King reported in early April, leading to the belief that the franchise might prefer Herbert to Joe Burrow.
This week, Cincinnati Bengals insider Geoff Hobson published an article detailing how the Bengals came to the conclusion of choosing Joe Burrow and revealed that Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan didn’t make a decision on a quarterback until April.
Herbert made a strong impression on the Bengals’ staff when they worked together at the Senior Bowl, an event that Burrow and Tagovailoa did not attend.
“We liked Herbert and we had the best evaluation you can get from a quarterback. We had it for a whole week, so you can see how fast you can learn an offense, how you can bring in other guys, and how you responded stressfully.” situations. We left there feeling very positive about him, “said Callahan.
While the Senior Bowl didn’t change the Bengals’ eventual decision to recruit Burrow, it radically changed Herbert’s inventory. The former Oregon quarterback was coming off a Rose Bowl victory where he was named offensive MVP and kept momentum in the Senior Bowl, winner of practice of the week, and MVP Senior Bowl.
During the Senior Bowl, Callahan caught up with journalists to answer some questions on the south roster, including quarterback Justin Herbert.
“He is very talented physically. He has a prototypical size and athletic ability. He has a very, very strong arm.” Callahan continued: “On top of that, he is extremely intelligent and very conscientious. He collects information, can process it and call it. He went to the center for the first time, probably, in his career and answered that bell.” with great success. Every day I continue to be impressed with the things we ask him to do and he responds very well to me. “
Herbert is now a Charger and some of the internal workings and potential scenarios of the NFL 2020 Draft are now irrelevant, but Herbert’s ability to make a lasting impression on the staff with the No. 1 pick should not be ignored.
