Denzel Burke, CB Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Burke was a four-star recruit from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the class of 2021

Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke is his program’s second-best prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, only trailing Marvin Harrison Jr. Burke bounced back from an inconsistent 2022 season to solidify himself as a second round-caliber prospect.

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Denzel Burke, CB Ohio State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior outside cornerback from Phoenix, Ariz.

Background: Burke was a four-star recruit from Saguaro High School in Scottsdale, Ariz. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 199 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 148 for Rivals, and No. 188 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 267th in the nation with an 81 grade out of 100. Burke originally attended Brophy College Preparatory in Phoenix, Ariz. before transferring to Saguaro. He played both ways in high school. Burke only appeared in one game as a high school senior because of an injury. He averaged 44.7 receiving yards per game as a junior and produced four receiving touchdowns in seven games. Burke made 50 receptions for 719 yards as a sophomore.

Injuries & Off-Field: High school senior season shortened by shoulder surgery, shoulder injury in 2022 camp, surgery for hand injury in September 2022, 2022 right index finger injury, missed two games in 2022, suffered an ankle injury vs. Purdue (2023), missed two games in 2023

Awards: 2021 Third Team All-Big Ten, 2021 Freshman All-American (ESPN, The Athletic), 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten, 2023 First Team All-Big Ten (Coaches), 2023 Second Team All-Big Ten (Media)

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, good height, arm length will meet thresholds, hips are mostly fluid with limited tightness, patient in press and times punches well, patient and controlled feet in space, quick footwork, compresses outside releases along the sideline, speed to carry receivers vertically, gets in-phase quickly and stays attached vertically from soft-shoe press, calm with his back to the ball before turning to locate it, willing to crowd the receiver and smother short routes in press, quick and low backpedal, excellent speed recognizing and driving on short routes, quick to plant and drive on inbreaking routes, snaps from off-man or zone to mirror receiver at top of the stem, awareness in zone to sort through multiple threats, baits quarterbacks into dangerous throws vs. zone coverage, reads the quarterback like a book, competitive at the catch point, plays the pass around pass catchers without fouling, impressive ball tracking to create problems at the catch point, plays the receiver’s hands when he doesn’t locate the ball, can make a one-on-one tackle if needed

Cons: Injury history, limited slot experience, limited ball production, lean frame, not twitchy or sudden, limited play strength, pushed around too easily, feet can be overactive near the LOS, punches in press need to be stronger, gives a step when his punches miss in press, bumped off his coverage by sturdy receivers, knocked back in press, gets grabby in man on comeback routes, late to flip hips and recognize when a receiver is crossing his face, gives up inside leverage too easily, grabs when receivers try to work back across his face, got away with grabs in college, will struggle to mirror detailed and twitchy route runners, occasionally caught flat-footed in off-man, acceleration can be a little slow to catch stutter-goes, not the most eager run defender, weak tackle attempts to fail to slow ball carrier

Overview: Burke has special teams experience on the kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units. He primarily aligned on the left side of Ohio State’s defense in many games in 2023, playing a healthy mix of press-man, soft-shoe press, and zone. Burke has good height and arms that will meet NFL thresholds. His hips are mostly fluid with just limited tightness. Burke is patient in press coverage and times his punches well, but his lean frame and limited play strength pose some issues. He is pushed around too easily near the line of scrimmage, and his punches must be stronger to make a dent in wide receivers. Sturdy receivers bump him off his coverage pattern and knock him backward in press. Burke gives a step when his punches miss in press, but he has enough recovery speed to work his way back into some of these routes. The junior has patient, controlled, and quick feet in space, but they can be overactive near the line of scrimmage as he tries to anticipate and mirror releases. He compresses outside releases along the sideline and has the speed to carry receivers vertically. Burke excels at using the sideline and end line as second defenders. He quickly gets in-phase and stays attached throughout vertical routes. Burke is calm and poised with his back to the quarterback. He turns to locate the ball at the right time and plays the receiver’s hands when he doesn’t get his head around. Burke crowds receivers to smother short routes when working in press coverage. He has a quick and low backpedal to support his work in zone and off-man. The Arizona native quickly recognizes and drives on short routes to limit yards after the catch. He snaps from off-man or zone to mirror receivers at the top of the stem. Burke’s awareness in zone is a strength that helps him sort through multiple threats and bait quarterbacks into dangerous throws. He reads quarterbacks well, suggesting a long-term fit in a zone-heavy scheme would maximize his ball production. Burke is competitive at the catch point and plays the ball around receivers without fouling. Despite his limited ball production, Burke showcases impressive ball tracking skills. The former four-star recruit is not an eager run defender and has too many weak or futile tackle attempts, but he can make a one-on-one tackle in big moments. Burke isn’t a sudden or twitchy athlete, and his injury history is starting to get long. He grabs receivers in man coverage on comeback routes. One of his biggest issues in man coverage is allowing receivers to cross his face. He allows this frequently but is late to flip his hips and adjust after surrendering inside leverage. This leads to him hooking or grabbing receivers to slow them down. He got away with this in college but will draw more flags in the NFL. Burke doesn’t have the athletic profile to mirror detailed and twitchy route runners. He occasionally finds himself flat-footed in off-man coverage and gives a few steps to the receiver. His re-acceleration can be slower than ideal after biting on stutter-goes.

Overall, Burke suffers from the occasional breakdown in technique, but his football IQ, ball tracking, and well-rounded physical traits make him a priority day two selection. Burke needs to improve his play strength to contribute more against the run and hold up better in press coverage. Playing in a zone-dominant scheme will allow him to diagnose plays quickly and bait quarterbacks into bad throws.  

Role & Scheme Fit: Outside cornerback in a zone/cover 3-heavy scheme

Round Projection: Second Round

Size: 6'1", 190 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 12-02-23