As the dust begins to clear following the 2020 NFL season, and we start to fall in love with a whole new rookie class, it is important that we do not simply forget the players who were the apples of your eye a year ago. With this in mind, we have come to the time of the year where the RotoViz crew looks back on the performances of last year’s rookies. For my part, there is no better place to begin than with the player who was drafted before everyone else, namely Joe Burrow of the Cincinnati Bengals.
By the Numbers
Burrow was immediately thrown into the starting role for the Bengals, and they were not shy about using him. He attempted at least 30 passes in every game, including an arm-achingly incredible 61 in just his second NFL game.
In and of themselves, these numbers are not all that encouraging. But we should remember that Burrow’s rookie campaign was painfully cut short. He suffered a devastating knee injury in Week 11. To put his numbers into a friendlier and accurate context, here is how he ranked after the first 11 weeks of the season.
| Category | Number | Rank |
| Pass Atts | 404 | 2nd |
| Pass Yards | 2688 | 10th |
| Pass Comp % | 65% | 21st |
| Pass TDs | 13 | 21st |
| Pass INTs | 5 | 20th |
| paFPOE | -17.9 | 25th |
(ranks based on 29 QBs with at least 200 pass attempts through Week 11).
Burrow was certainly given plenty of opportunities to make plays, as the Bengals consistently and almost continuously put the ball in the air. He went over 300-yards passing five times, with 406 and three touchdowns against the Browns in Week 7. But he failed to toss a touchdown pass in three games and had another three with a solitary score. As a result, his sheer volume did not automatically translate into fantasy success. He wasn’t a dud by any stretch, with just a single truly awful game on his record. He was, well … he was okay.
Encouragingly, he got off to a promising start as a runner with 46 yards in his Week 1 debut. This included a 23 yard QB draw that resulted in a touchdown. Despite two more rushing scores in his next nine games, he never rushed for more than 28 yards in a single game. Indeed, his mobility was put to the test more as an escape artist than a rusher, as he was sacked 32 times in his ten games. He absorbed at least three takedowns in six games, with the Eagles dishing out eight in Week 3.
