Joe Burrow will relish the prospect of proving doubters wrong if he is selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the NFL Draft, according to his former High School coach.
LSU quarterback Burrow, who won the Heisman Trophy and guided the Tigers to the national championship in a remarkable 2019 season, is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick in Thursday's draft.
The Bengals went 2-14 last season and have not won a playoff game since 1990.
That has prompted a host of draft analysts to label the Bengals as an unattractive destination for prospects.
Nathan White coached Burrow with Athens High School in Ohio, a state where he is poised to return with the Bengals, and believes doubters like that are exactly what the QB needs to thrive.
White believes the Bengals are ready to "take off" if Burrow arrives due to the offensive talent they already have on the roster, including franchise-tagged wide receiver A.J. Green.
"All of the talking heads that are talking say Cincinnati might not be a great place to end up and they can't have success there, but I think that might be right up Joe's alley," White said to Stats Perform.
"It is exactly what he needs to hear to put that chip back on his shoulder."
Ahead of the draft, Burrow said being unable to earn a college starting QB role at Ohio State before transferring to LSU gave him the fuel to fight for his status atop the draft.
White added: "If that chip on his shoulder has shrunk at all from the highs of winning the national championship, going to Cincinnati might be exactly what he needs to put it back on there.
"It will give him another chance to fight and prove people wrong.
"The Bengals have a bunch of talent, I think that they are primed to take off in Cincinnati. They have a chance to be really good.
"A.J. Green is one of the best wide receivers in the NFL and has been for eight or 10 years. I think that will be a great mix right out of the gate.
"A really good receiving core, Tyler Boyd and John Ross are incredibly talented too, and one of the best running backs too in Joe Mixon."