A little more than midway through Zac Taylor's video press conference ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft, the Cincinnati Bengals coach was asked about Joe Burrow's transition into the team’s offensive system.
Taylor was not about to take the bait.
"You're talking very specifically about one prospect there," he said with a smile.
While all signs point to Cincinnati selecting the 2019 Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback with the first overall pick in Thursday's draft, Taylor did not divulge who the Bengals will be picking with just two days to go.
For the first time since 2003, Cincinnati will have the top overall pick. In that year, the Bengals selected a player they believed would be their franchise quarterback – Carson Palmer.
Palmer turned out to be a solid quarterback, ranking fourth in franchise history in both passing yards and passing touchdowns while earning two Pro Bowl selections and leading the Bengals to a pair of division titles in his seven years in Cincinnati.
The Bengals appear poised to take a similar route this season by drafting Burrow first.
An Ohio native, he led LSU to the national title last season, completing 76.3 percent of his passes for 5,671 yards and an FBS-single season record 60 touchdowns to just six interceptions.
The Bengals will make history when they make the first pick in the virtual NFL draft, with all teams and executives in isolation amid the coronavirus pandemic
Taylor said the buzz surrounding the remote draft is akin to the hype leading up to the season opener.
"It's almost like you're playing the first game of the season," he said. "It's that kind of excitement right now.
"You're taking who you believe is the best player in the draft and you don't ever want to pick there ever again."
After commissioner Roger Goodell announces Cincinnati's top pick from his basement, the Bengals will be off the clock for about 24 hours until they make their next pick at 33.
And just like owning the first pick on day one, the Bengals will be treating the first pick of day two similarly by zeroing in on the top player available.
"The first pick of the second day, you get a lot of time to think about it," Taylor said.
"There's going to be some really good players there that we probably have first-round grades on. It will be exciting to see how it all shakes out."
It all begins with the Bengals picking first, and at this point Taylor and the rest of the front office are just waiting for Thursday night and the draft to begin.
The team has done its homework on the players it has targeted through FaceTime meetings and is prepared for the challenge of the virtual draft.
"As it stands today, we feel really good about where we're at," added Taylor.