Joe Burrow Will Turn Bengals into 'Championship Football Team,' Says Ed Orgeron

Joe Burrow is a virtual lock to go No. 1 overall in the NFL draft on Thursday night. That hasn't stopped his college coach from hyping him up. 

Speaking on ESPN, LSU's Ed Orgeron said he believes Burrow will turn the Cincinnati Bengals "into a championship football team" if they select him when the draft kicks off. 

Orgeron has plenty of evidence to back that up after Burrow had arguably the greatest season ever by a college quarterback last year. 

Burrow set FBS records in touchdowns (60) and QB rating (202) while leading the FBS in passing yards (5,671) and completion percentage (76.3). He collected the Heisman Trophy, helped win the national championship and was a unanimous All-American. 

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Bengals are locked in on Burrow, sending No. 9 Cincinnati jerseys to Burrow and his parents as well as a letter that welcomed him to the franchise. Burrow played high school ball in Athens, about 160 miles from his new NFL home.

While the team was listening to offers for the No. 1 pick from other clubs, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport noted there was no way the Bengals would trade down.

That seems more clear than ever. Whether Burrow can turn the Bengals into a Super Bowl contender is a different question. 

Cincinnati hasn't made the playoffs since 2015. The club hasn't finished above .500 since then, bottoming out at 2-14 last season.