Lorenzo Burns, CB//Arizona
Height: 5’11”//Weight: 175
Measurables:
Hand: //Arm: //Wingspan:
40 Yard Dash: // Bench Reps (225 lbs): 14 reps // Vertical Jump: 33.5 in // Broad Jump: 10’3” // 20 Yard Shuttle: // 3-Cone Drill:
192 total tackles (142 solo)
2 sacks
8 tackles for loss
9 INT
35 PD
2 fumble recoveries
42 games played in five seasons (redshirted first year, played 1 game//Arizona’s 2020 season shortened to 5 games)
Strengths/Weaknesses:
Burns isn’t the bulkiest corner at 175 pounds, but isn’t short at 5-feet-11” and has great speed which will not only translate to the next level, but also helped lead Burns to a standout career at Arizona.
Burns was named Team Defensive MVP in 2019 for Arizona, and was a Pac-12 All Conference Honorable Mention selection as well in 2019.
In fact, Burns said, teams were afraid to throw at him this past year.
“I feel like in a way they went to the other side of the field,” said Burns in an interview with Sports Illustrated. “I got some targets here and there but it wasn’t a lot. It was probably the least amount of targets I got in the last four years I was there.”
Burns was also in part referring to his dip in interceptions in 2020. He had nine picks coming into the season and four in 2019. He didn’t record a single interception in 2020.
It’s true that quarterbacks and offensive coordinators will often gameplan away from top corners. Burns feels that way, and he still recorded 2 tackles for loss, 24 total tackles and a fumble recovery in just five games.
NFL scouts could potentially not be impressed with the lack of interceptions in 2020 as well as just one pass deflection, but it’s also true that the other statistics were there, and he’s proven himself to be a ballhawk in years past.
Burns was selected this year to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He projects as a nickel corner by many, including himself, but has experience playing in both man and zone coverage, as well as both press and off-man. Also, Drae Harris, an NFL scout for seven years and senior draft analyst for The Draft Network, expressed that Burns is just as good regardless of these schemes.
“He plays with good reactive athleticism for the position, as evidenced in his body control and agility in coverage,” Harris said.
Harris dished out high praise for his coverage. While he’s not all-in on who Burns is in the run game, Burns did rack up 192 tackles in his time at Arizona. That’s a high number for a corner, especially one who had his senior season cut short by seven games.
Burns averaged 4.57 tackles per game at Arizona. If he was able to play a full 12-game slate in 2020, he would have hit 224 tackles at the rate he posted for the Wildcats.
In observing Burns during his time in Arizona, it was evident that he played with high energy and is quick to get to the ball when thrown his way.
“He’s extremely competitive at the catch point and does a good job getting his hands on the ball,” said Harris in his evaluation.
Big Boards/Rankings:
The Draft Network: No. 233 player//No. 35 corner
CBS Sports: Unranked (ranking goes up to top 150 athletes, top 17 corners)
Pro Football network (Tony Pauline): No. 252 player//No. 35 corner (Lists Burns as a 7th-round projection)
PFF: Unranked (ranking goes up to top 299 athletes, top 39 corners)