Before the Cincinnati Bengals selected Joe Burrow with the top overall pick in the 2020 draft, he was the leader of a high-octane offense at LSU, which won the national championship with an undefeated record in 2019. The offense set several NCAA records, as Burrow threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns.
And the nation's most formidable offense wouldn't have celebrated a CFP title that season without the help from Burrow's guard, Ed Ingram, who's currently in Indianapolis for the NFL's scouting combine. Ingram's protection meant so much to Burrow, that he thanked LSU's offensive line first during his Heisman Trophy acceptance speech.
"I enjoyed every minute of it. And it just felt like a movie, being able to block for Joe, who's such a great player and doing great things in the NFL," Ingram told The DA Show on Thursday. "Just being a part of him winning the Heisman and having him highlight my name as one of the guys who helped protect him was an amazing experience... He just took control.
"When he first came to LSU, we had a team meeting with players only. And he just came in and said, 'You guys might not know me, but I'm here to win and we're going to win.' So, he came in, set the standard, and became the leader that everybody needed... Every time we'd be doing a pass protection play or pass play, I always knew once they threw the ball downfield, it'd be a catch."
Ingram, who's listed at 6-foot-3 and 318 pounds, is currently the ninth-ranked offensive guard and 178th overall prospect on Pro Football Focus' draft board. He started 11 games for LSU in 2021 (45 games across four seasons), logged 811 snaps, and served as protection for star running back Ty Davis-Price, who rushed for 1,000 yards. Ingram also participated in the Reese's Senior Bowl.
The entire football conversation between Ingram and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
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