Grading the Carolina Panthers’ last 5 first-round draft picks
By Dean Jones
Brian Burns – Carolina Panthers DE
- No. 16 overall selection
After spending so much capital on offensive skill players, the Carolina Panthers rightfully turned their attention to the defensive side of the football in 2019, which would end up being Ron Rivera’s last one as head coach. The primary decision-makers took a chance on one of the more explosive prospects in this year’s class, with Brian Burns becoming the team’s latest first-round selection at No. 16 overall.
Burns was criminally mismanaged as a rookie, with Rivera refusing to give him meaningful reps and even had him as a special teams gunner on occasions. The Florida State product was on the field for just 43 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, which simply wasn’t good enough and left many wondering whether this was the right selection.
Thankfully, Burns began to come of age with additional responsibilities.
His sack numbers have increased every year. So even though there are still some things to work on regarding run defending and finishing off plays with conviction, the Pro Bowler is a key cog in Carolina’s defense and should be next in line for a lucrative contract extension based on general manager Scott Fitterer’s comments recently.
Pick Grade: A
Once Burns figures out how to be more efficient in all phases of play, that’s when the edge defender will really take off. But make no mistake, this was another home run from the Panthers and especially where they landed him.