Denzel Burke Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Images courtesy of Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

School: Ohio State

Class: Senior

Position: CB

HT: 5’11

WT: 196 lbs

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Background: Denzel Burke was a 4-star cornerback out of Phoenix, Arizona. Burke attended the same high school as former Georgia CB Kelee Ringo, Saguaro High School. Imagine those two studs in a high school secondary, impressive stuff. Burke was an all-around athlete in high school, playing cornerback, wide receiver, and running back. He, along with Ringo, helped completely turn the program around from his freshman year, a year in which Saguaro won one game. Burke’s recruiting process was much slower than the average 4-star recruit. Burke ultimately chose to commit to Ohio State over the likes of USC, Oregon, and Washington.

College: Burke was able to see significant reps on the Buckeyes’ defense as a true freshman and impressed. He was named to the All-Freshman First Team and All-Big 10 Third Team. As a sophomore, his ball production took a dip, not because he was ineffective, but because quarterbacks learned to not throw the ball his way nearly as much. Burke returned to school, but he struggled in his final season with the Buckeyes. He was often beat with speed on the outside and at the catchpoint.

Strengths: Denzel Burke has an ideal build for a cornerback. He possesses a large frame and long arms that help him win on the outside. He is strong and can use strong hands to knock receivers off their routes. In man coverage, Burke does well to keep receivers from stacking him on the perimeter. He is too physical to be beat with pure strength and size. Burke has 4.4 speed that can easily be a high 4.3. Combining the speed with fluid hips and the aforementioned size, he is difficult to beat vertically. Burke is also a ballhawk. He knows how to make a play on the ball. Burke displays solid hands and can high point the football like a true X Receiver. He is not commonly called for penalties as he does well to get his head around and track the football.

Weaknesses: Burke needs to work on his ability to shed blockers. He is not an effective run defender because he often gets stuck to a blocker and cannot make solo tackles in the open field. Additionally, he cannot keep up with the twitchier and shiftier wide receivers due to subpar footwork. He has a tendency to get stacked and bullied at the catchpoint.

Conclusion: Denzel Burke will be an outside cornerback who needs to be primarily shadowing the opposing team’s X Receiver due to his physical nature. He won’t get bullied on the outside and can create splash plays for an NFL defense.

Scheme Fit: Man Coverage

Ideal Role: Outside CB

Best Team Fits: GB, IND, MIN

Player Comparison: DJ Reed

Player Grade: Round 5 (58.3)