If nothing else, at least the Carolina Panthers have themselves a decent crop of young, budding talent. And one of those plants is growing right onto the mainstream stage.
Fresh off his first career Pro Bowl selection—and as a starter, at that—defensive end Brian Burns has received some recognition this offseason as he heads into his fourth campaign. The latest props came from Pro Football Focus, in which analyst Trevor Sikkema named the potent pass rusher as one of the NFL’s top players under 25 years of age.
“Burns remains one of the most talented young defensive ends in the NFL,” writes Sikkema, who ranked the 24-year-old 15th on his list. “In his first three seasons, he’s recorded 7.5, nine and nine sacks. Burns’ 137 total pressures over that span rank fourth-most in the NFL for players under the age of 25. The Panthers’ defense runs through the kind of difference-maker he is on the edge, and it should continue to do so, even as the team acquires more talent at all three levels.”
Those levels also include fellow defensive linemen Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos and defensive backs Jeremy Chinn, Jaycee Horn and CJ Henderson—all of whom are also under 25. While none of them cracked the rankings, and appropriately so, having that young and promising core speaks to the high ceiling of the Carolina defense.
Next up for Burns is a key 2022, where he’ll ride the fourth season of his rookie deal before entering his already-triggered fifth-year option. But if these upcoming seven months see even more rave reviews from around the league, he may not even have to worry about proving anything else in 2023.
