Ex-No. 1 Draft Pick Steve Bartkowski: Joe Burrow Should 'Pull an Eli' on Bengals

Few in NFL history know what it is like to be drafted No. 1 overall as a quarterback and deal with years of losing better than Steve Bartkowski.

After all, the Atlanta Falcons finished with a winning record in just three of the 11 years he spent with the team after it selected him with the No. 1 overall pick of the 1975 NFL draft. His experience served as a backdrop when he suggested Joe Burrow should "pull an Eli Manning" to avoid playing for the Cincinnati Bengals, who have the No. 1 pick in the 2020 draft.

"They're Ohio guys," Bartkowski said of Burrow's family, per Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. "I might've offended them by telling them that, if it's the Bengals, I think I'd pull an Eli Manning on that one. I said, you've got a chance to do that. That's happened. [John] Elway kind of set the tone, then the Mannings delved into it after Eli was picked by San Diego."

Davison noted Manning forced a trade to the New York Giants after the then-San Diego Chargers drafted him No. 1 in 2004. The then-Baltimore Colts traded Elway to the Denver Broncos after picking him No. 1 in 1983.

It is not exactly a secret the Bengals are far from the most highly regarded franchise in the league.

They have never won a Super Bowl and are coming off their fourth straight losing season. Their last playoff win came during the 1990 campaign, and Bartkowski pointed to those concerns when explaining his comments about Burrow:

"It's not the best organization. You know, times change, things change. Atlanta wasn't a good organization until Arthur Blank bought the team. It was a terrible organization. They didn't know the right hand from the left to be honest.

"I know what it's like to go to a bottom-feeder team. I'd hate to see that happen to him to be honest. They beat me up. I spent more time at the hospital recuperating from injuries my first three years than I did throwing touchdowns. It was tough."

For his part, Burrow suggested he has "leverage" but is more focused on individual improvement than where he will end up with so much time remaining until April's draft.

While that may be the case, Bleacher Report's Matt Miller reported the Bengals already decided they are drafting the LSU product.

It is no surprise Cincinnati feels that way. After all, Burrow won the Heisman Trophy and led the Tigers to the College Football Playoff national title in one of the most memorable collegiate seasons in recent history.

He finished with 5,671 passing yards and 60 touchdown throws throughout the campaign and torched the secondaries of fellow playoff teams Oklahoma and Clemson in his final two games.

The Bengals clearly envision him doing something similar in the NFL ranks, but not everyone feels it would be best for Burrow to end up in Cincinnati.