The Carolina Panthers have found their new featured pass rusher. With the No. 16 pick in the 2019 NFL draft, they selected Florida State defensive end Brian Burns.
The draft board fell in an ideal way for Carolina to land Burns, who is one of the top edge rushing prospects in this draft class.
At Florida State, Burns was a highly disruptive force getting to the quarterback. In 33 college games, he posted a total of 23 sacks and 38.5 tackles for a loss. He earned first-team All-ACC honors for the 2018 season.
Burns instantly upgrades Carolina’s pass rush, which was a sore point for the Panthers defense last year when they ranked No. 27 in the league in sacks.
One could make an argument that taking an offensive tackle may have been a better use of the No. 16 pick, but there’s a lot to like about Burns, who should give a serious shot in the arm to the front four.
Explosiveness and quickness jump out right away on tape with Burns, but he’s also a smart and instinctive defender with solid containment skills. This is an excellent pick, hands down.
