Welcome to SKOL Search!
This series will be your guide to the 2024 draft class. From scouting reports to mock drafts and exploring different scenarios, we will be covering the NFL draft and the future of the Minnesota Vikings from all angles.
We are getting a head start this year by looking at the talent projected to be available in the upcoming 2024 NFL draft. Why start in the summer? It’s a good way to see how the players grow from year-to-year and we will be looking at players from a Vikings perspective.
Right now, the Vikings will have seven draft picks in the 2024 NFL draft.
- 1st round
- 2nd round
- 4th round
- 4th round (via Lions)
- 5th round (via Chiefs)
- 5th round (via Browns)
- 6th round
Background
Denzel Burke
- School: Ohio State
- Class: True Junior
- Height: 6010
- Weight: 190
- 247Sports Recruiting Rank: Four-star (91 rating)
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Notes
- 2021 Freshman All-American (ESPN, The Athletic, 247 Sports)
- 2022 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention
- First Ohio State true freshman to start the season opener on defense since Andy Katzenmoyer in 1996
- Stats: 71 tackles (52 solo), 3 tackles for loss, 1 interception, 18 pass breakups, 1 TD
- Games watched: 2022 Penn State, 2022 Notre Dame, 2022 Georgia
What does he do well?
Coming out of high school, Burke was the tenth-best athlete in the country, according to 247 Sports. He played receiver and defensive back in high school in Arizona, and it shows on the field.
When the ball is in the air, Burke shows off his impressive ball skills. He can track the football like a receiver, which helps him recover if initially beaten on a route.
While he does wrap the receiver, on the back end of this play, you can see what makes Burke a fun prospect. Burke displays his instinct as a receiver when the ball is in the air. Once he was back in phase, he immediately looked back for the football. These instincts can mitigate penalties from a defensive back as raw as he is.
On this vertical one-on-one, you can see progress with his technique going into this season. He is patient at the line of scrimmage and trusts his ability to stay in phase with the receiver. He is in the receiver’s hip pocket and goes stride-for-stride with him.
In this final clip, you see Burke’s ability to bait the quarterback. Burke perfectly plays the receiver’s outside shoulder and forces the receiver back into the waiting safety, who turns his back to the quarterback on the double team. Burke may have even had a chance to undercut this ball if the safety was not there.
There are good things to take from Burke’s film. While he has aspects of his game to work on, the athleticism and instincts are there to build on. He has a physical mindset. That shows up when he is lined up on the inside. He is comfortable blitzing and likes to get physical with his receivers. This season will be a pivotal one for his development.
Where does he need improvement?
Most of the improvement that Burke needs will be technique-wise. While he’s got the physical attributes necessary to be good in the NFL, his technique leaves much to be desired.
In this play, Burke shows off his versatility on the inside. But he also outlines some of his weaknesses in press man. Burke immediately shifts inside and throws a jab at the receiver’s shoulder. The problem is, when the punch does not connect, Burke is out of phase on a slot fade on third and short. He shows off his make-up speed to get back in phase at the end of the route but is unable to locate and make a play on the ball.
In his film, there are a few times where Burke is beaten at the line of scrimmage. Whether that’s a receiver beating him on the release or reacting late, he finds himself in trail technique more often than you would like to see your corners.
Let’s give Todd Monken credit here. This play was an excellent design to rub the outside corner. However, Burke reacts late on the line of scrimmage and puts himself at a disadvantage early in the route. It almost looks like when a defender reacts late to a pick-and-roll in basketball. The receiver makes a good move at the top of the route, taking Burke out of the play and Georgia back on top late in the game.
Burke can also have some trouble disengaging blocks in run support.
Burke has good attributes to his game but needs to understand the little nuances of cornerback play. Shutting off passing lanes for the quarterback to throw by position relative to the receiver, how to stay in phase from the beginning of the route, etc. The good news is these aspects of the game can be taught and developed with the right coaching.
How does he fit with the Vikings?
If anyone is willing to bet on a player in the secondary, it’s Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah. The past two drafts have had the Vikings take Lewis Cine, Andrew Booth, Jr., and Mekhi Blackmon in the first two days of the draft, all of which had significant questions heading into the draft. Whether it was Cine and his coverage ability, Booth and his injury history, or Blackmon and his size concerns, Adofo-Mensah took a chance on all of them, but it hasn’t paid dividends yet.
With the constant questions surrounding the cornerback room, adding a talent like Burke would be great insurance. If Booth and Akayleb Evans hold up well in Brian Flores’ system, Burke could develop his coverage skills while having the potential to be a stalwart in special teams. In high school, he enjoyed being able to throw blocks on unsuspecting defensive backs as a receiver.
Where is he projected to go?
If Burke can show out this season and develop his technique, he could shoot up to the middle of the first round. If not, he could fall into the latter parts of the first, even to the top of the second.
Any of these scenarios lands him in perfect range for a Minnesota team possibly looking for answers in the secondary.
Projection: Mid-to-late First round
