Joe Burrow Pro Day Cancellation Won't Impact Bengals' Evaluation, Says Zac Taylor

Cincinnati Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said he's not concerned the franchise won't get to see LSU quarterback Joe Burrow throw during the predraft process.

Burrow didn't take part in drills at the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine, and the Tigers' pro day was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic. Taylor told ESPN's Ben Baby those factors aren't a significant part of their research as owners of the first overall pick:

"Really, the No. 1 evaluation tool is always the regular-season tape, especially with quarterbacks. We watched all that as much as we could with all these quarterbacks that are options there. Again, it's just one box you don't get to check off. But I think we're comfortable making any decision that we make without having seen all these guys throw live."

Burrow pushed to move forward with LSU's pro day despite the widespread ban on large gatherings and the fact that NFL teams have removed coaches and scouts from the road because of COVID-19. His reasoning wasn't because of his draft stock, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic:

The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner is coming off a monster season in which he led the 15-0 Tigers to a national championship. He completed 76.3 percent of his throws for 5,671 yards and had 60 touchdowns and six interceptions.

His breakout campaign transformed him from a fringe draft prospect into the heavy favorite to come off the board first to the Bengals. Taylor wasn't ready to tip the organization's hand, though.

"We went through a long list of guys, and we've been doing this for two months now," he told Baby. "We feel like we'll be really prepared come April."

Meanwhile, the 23-year-old Iowa native pushed aside speculation he wouldn't play for the Bengals or that he'd attempt to force a trade from Cincinnati.

"I'm not going to not play. I'm a ballplayer," Burrow told reporters in February. "If the Bengals pick me, I'm going to play."

In late March, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sent a memo to teams stating the 2020 draft would move forward as scheduled April 23-25. He also warned against making comments about the decision, saying "public discussion of issues relating to the draft serves no useful purpose and is grounds for disciplinary action," per ESPN's Adam Schefter.