Carolina Panthers: Gerald McCoy quick to give Brian Burns high praise

The new Carolina Panthers veteran is impressed with the rookie.

If you are Brian Burns, you must be doing something right if a veteran is giving you compliments. Such is the case for the rookie from Florida State, who has been given props by Gerald McCoy over the course of training camp.

Burns comes into training camp 2019 with a lot of expectations, even for a rookie. He is expected to be a big part of the defense, not only now, but in the future as well. He is supposed to be the Carolina Panthers pass rusher of the future. With a veteran defensive line, it would be easy to back down from the challenge. That does not seem to be the case so far.

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McCoy seems to notice that. In an interview with Max Henson of Panthers.com, McCoy gave praise to Burns. He compared Burns to two tremendous defensive players. If Burns turns out like any of the two mentioned names, that would certainly be a win for the Panthers. Granted, Burns has a long way to go. Nevertheless, it seems like Burns is taking steps in the right direction to be successful.

I personally have high expectations for him. You don’t draft a defensive player with the 16th overall pick, and sit him on the bench, making him watch. You play him and see what he is made of. From everything I have read, it seems like Burns is a player with a high motor, one that rarely takes plays off. He certainly has tremendous potential, and it sounds like he is already making his mark in training camp. In a Q&A with Panthers.com, McCoy gave the rookie high praise.

"He’s a mix of Noah Spence and Aldon Smith. Long arms like Aldon, tall. He’s got that long arm power. But when I say he plays like Spence, he can bend. He can turn the corner with his knee dragging on the grass. For him to be that size and dip and turn the corner like that. That’s scary."

Those comparisons excite me. Noah Spence is a player with tremendous instincts and speed. Aldon Smith was a huge part of a dominant San Francisco 49er defense for many years. If the Carolina Panthers can add a player like that to their roster, they have done a great job. Especially in the draft setting, when you take risks with the players you select, that would be a win for general manager Marty Hurney.

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For Gerald McCoy to say a player is “scary”, the player must be pretty special. Burns would certainly fit into that category of special, and I can’t wait to see what he does during the preseason. As a rookie, he’s probably get a fair amount of snaps. Here’s to hoping he makes the best of them.

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