Former Florida State standout and Carolina Panthers first-round pick Brian Burns flashed why there’s so much excitement about him as a pass rusher during the team’s training camp practice Saturday.
Carolina Panthers first-round pick Brian Burns was selected 16th overall because of his unique burst off the edge as a pass rusher. Few prospects possessed his first-step quickness and twitchy athleticism, but questions about his size (or lack thereof) kept him from emerging as a top-10 pick.
His mini-slide down the first round enriched a Panthers team in need of an edge rusher who can get after Drew Brees (Saints), Matt Ryan (Falcons), and Jameis Winson (Buccaneers).
Burns wasn’t the only player in Carolina’s 2019 draft haul who’s expected to compete for a starting job this season. Left tackle Greg Little was the Panthers’ second-round pick and has an inside track at beginning his NFL career with the first-teamers.
But before he can be crowned as a player tasked with keeping Cam Newton upright, he has to prove he can hang against the league’s top pass rushers. Burns may end up being one of them, and he straight-up embarrassed Little in this rep at Panthers training camp Saturday:
Brian Burns is a terror off the edge. pic.twitter.com/imeKfnIDw9
— Max Henson (@maxhenson) July 27, 2019
It’s hard to fault Little on this rep. Burns was unblockable. His elite change of direction, how he quickly transitioned his outside pass rush to an inside swim move, was a thing of beauty. And don’t think for a minute that Burns doesn’t have enough power and pop in his hands to make bigger and allegedly stronger offensive tackles look silly. He discards Little effortlessly with his inside hand.
This is a tough rep for Panthers fans. It’s a true double-edged sword. For as exciting as Burns looks, Little appears completely overmatched. His lunging attempt to stonewall Burns and his inability to maintain his balance and recover is something that will haunt him against any of the NFL’s better pass rushers. So, sure, Burns may be one of those guys, but he has to prove he can block players of that caliber in order to become a quality starter in the pros.
Again, it’s just one rep. But boy does Burns look special.