Game Film Concerns Continue for Ohio State Corner Denzel Burke

Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke is a difficult evaluation.

He is physical and he has good speed.

However, what makes him a tough evaluation is he has some tightness in his hips and he gets too lax in coverage and support sometimes, and that is a pattern I can’t ignore.

I evaluated all 10 games Burke played in last season and I also evaluated five games from the 2022 season.

Scouting is all about identifying patterns and tendencies over a sustained period of time.

When I worked at the Jets in Pro Scouting, there was a saying around the building, “We’re in the information gathering business.”

The key to decision-making is having information ⎯as much information as possible.

I can look back at some of the mistakes I’ve made grading and see that the reason I missed on a guy is because I didn’t have enough information. This is why I’m now so fanatical grading all the games I can get my hands on. It’s so much easier (and less time-consuming) to just do three games on a guy and make an educated guess, but there’s too much at stake to play around. Grades create expectations and expectations determine career trajectories.

Grading is serious business.

Getting back to Burke ⎯the concern is some of my biggest gripes with him showed up on 2022 film as well.

Reflecting

I went back and read my fourth-round scouting report on Burke from the 2022 season and it was convicting.

Dang it, I really like a few things about Burke.

There is something about him that reminds me of former first-round corners Devon Witherspoon and Quinyon Mitchell. Another name Burke brings to mind is Joey Porter Jr. (early second-round selection).

Mainly, I like the brand of physicality Burke plays with sometimes.

However, when I went back and read my own words, I just can’t do it. I had concerns about hip tightness and lax play in my earlier report.

2023

Was there improvement in the past season?

Yes.

How so?

• Increased number of passes defended from five to nine.
• Seemed slightly improved in press-man coverage (lined up right on the receiver pre-snap and assigned to shadow every move a receiver makes and to attempt to impede the routes).

Projecting Burke to the NFL

The biggest concern I have with him is his pervasive tendency to become too lax at times and when he reacts too slowly to what’s going on. There’s something unfixable going on upstairs.

He’s easy to fall in love with, but just know once a team takes him they are married to him for better or for worse in a passing league. There’s just a little too much Andrew Booth (former first-round Clemson cornerback) to Burke for my tastes. Booth fizzled out with the Vikings and he’s struggled with the Cowboys.

I also did not like how he looked more average down the stretch on Ohio State’s schedule last season against better teams.

#10 Denzel Burke 6-foot-1, 193 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Third-Round (I wouldn’t select him)

Projected by 65.1%% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of November 3, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

Game Film of Ohio State CB Denzel Burke is Revealing (2022: 6 games evaluated)

2023 game film evaluated: Indiana, Youngstown State, Western Kentucky, Maryland, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Minnesota, Michigan, and Missouri (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Prospect with a muscular and athletic frame who is inconsistent in pass coverage and support. Ideal No. 2 corner in an off-man scheme. Not a No. 1 corner. Brings an aggressive presence. Physical. Mixes it up with receivers. Capable of impeding routes. Tendency to provide too much cushion in off-man against higher-level competition. Showed more confidence and anticipation against lower-level competition (Indiana, Youngstown State, and Western Kentucky). Receivers can create throwing windows in tight press-man coverage at breakpoints. Reliable after-the-fact defender in zone coverage. Tough to complete deep passes against. Inconsistent run defender. Inconsistent tackler.

What to watch for during the 2024 college season

1. Providing too much cushion in off-man coverage?

2. Does he look lax at times in coverage and support?

3. Number of passes intercepted and defended?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.