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CB Denzel Burke (All B1G, All-American, National Champion)

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“Thin build with long arms and projectable frame. Should take good on weight over next few years. Fluid athlete that could thrive on offense or defense. Very good ball skills. Dynamic receiver with quickness to explode out of his breaks. Sets up defenders well to gain separation after the catch. Speed makes him a threat to score from anywhere. Decent in coverage as a defender with fluidity to stick to wideouts. Must improve physicality and durability. Potential multi-year starter and NFL Draft Day 3 selection.”

Burke has already turned heads in spring practice after enrolling early this January, which is especially impressive coming off of season-ending shoulder surgery. Ohio State’s plan was always for the dynamic athlete to play cornerback in Columbus, and according to defensive backs coach Matt Barnes, Burke was ahead of schedule is his transition to becoming a full-time corner. Barnes lauded his footwork and patience that have helped the young DB succeed in press-man coverage and other schemes the OSU defense will ask of him, and the increased reps with Sevyn Banks out this spring certainly couldn’t have hurt.

“Not that we’re surprised, but I am to a degree just kind of blown away by how far along he looks at times,” Barnes told Cleveland.com. “Now, he’s still got a long way to go — don’t get me wrong. But he looks pretty natural in there.”

Ohio State definitely needs to improve in the secondary this season, and maybe Burke will get a chance to play a role in that improvement in year one. There are a ton of guys in that room fighting for spots on the field, as in addition to Banks the roster still includes the likes of Cam Brown (notably coming off an achilles injury) and Marcus Williamson as well as second-year players like Ryan Watts, Lejond Cavazos and Cam Martinez. It is a position group crowded with talent, but none of them have proven themselves just yet and experience is lacking across the board.

Somewhere in there are three productive starting Ohio State cornerbacks, and while I don't think Burke will work his way to the top of the depth chart in year one, I certainly wouldn’t rule out him playing a role in some kind of rotation that sees him taking snaps outside of just garbage time. Barnes and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs are tasked with making significant improvements in the back half of the Buckeye defense, and maybe Burke and the rest of this injection of youth are exactly what the OSU secondary needs to return back to its dominant ways.
 
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Burke, as a first-year Ohio State cornerback who’s newer to the position than Hancock and Johnson, isn’t expected to be counted on in a big way this fall. But he showed enough early signs to impress his new position coach, Matt Barnes, who’ll count on him down the line.

“It's actually uncanny how natural he does a lot of things at corner for not having played there very much,” Barnes said in April. “I don't know if it's 7-on-7 development or he just had a trainer or somebody he worked with, but he does a lot of things naturally very well. It's been fun to watch. He has elite footwork and patience that you don't see from many people regardless of their age but particularly a young guy. To sit at the line of scrimmage and have the patience that he has to play press technique and some other techniques, he looks seasoned. I'll put it that way.

“Not that we're surprised, but I am to a degree – just kind of blown away by how far along he looks at times. Now, he's still got a long way to go, don't get me wrong. But he looks pretty natural in there. We're really excited about him.”
 
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