FSU Alums: Brian Burns adjusting well to life in the NFL

Brian Burns being drafted No. 16 overall by the Carolina Panthers has left a huge void in the FSU football.

FSU football will miss Brian Burns immensely in the upcoming 2019 season. The former Nole led the team in sacks (10) and the nation in QB pressures last season although he was often double teamed each Saturday.

However, anytime a player is virtually guaranteed to be selected in the first couple of rounds of the NFL Draft it’s the right decision to leave school early.

The good thing for Burns is he was selected by a team that he has ties to (his brother played for them) and his skill set will help fill a huge void on the Carolina defense.

Burns has already gone through OTA’s and minicamp and spoke with Panthers.com about the experience thus far:

“It’s been great. This locker room is filled with good dudes. I heard at other places it’s not like this, so I’m just blessed to be here. Everybody has been helping me out constantly. I’m thankful,” Burns said.

Although he was a first round draft pick it’s apparent to Burns he still has a lot to learn from the older veterans.

“My tools and my athletic ability have gotten me pretty far. But going through OTAs with the veterans, you realize you have to learn a lot more,” Burns said. “You can’t just rely on physical ability and the things you did in college. Some of those moves don’t work here. Learning these new moves and learning from Mario (Addison), Bruce (Irvin), Marquis (Haynes) – ain’t nothing but benefits coming to me.”

Thoughts

That was kind of the knock on Burns coming out of FSU. Would he be able to develop other moves instead of relying on his speed and athleticism to get to the QB?

Could he be serviceable against the run if they needed to place him in those situations? One thing Burns did was put on a lot of good weight after finishing his career at FSU.

He came to FSU football at about 220 pounds, but the NFL Combine proved he hasn’t lost a step or explosion with the added 30 pounds to his frame.

The Carolina Panthers were ranked No. 27 out of 32 teams in terms of sacks for the season with just 35. I have a feeling those numbers will change with Brian Burns in the fold.