Josh McDaniels and Patrick Graham have talked before about the value of a linebacker who can drop into coverage. In that vein, you can see what they saw in Amari Burney who they selected with the 203rd pick in the sixth round.
“I feel like when I’m in coverage you don’t have to double the man that I’m guarding, so you can use the safety to be a rat or something like that,” Burney said of his coverage abilities. “I had the best hands on Florida last year, which I keep saying – my hands are great. I used to play receiver, so I don’t drop too many interceptions.”
Along with his team-leading two interceptions, Burney knocked down six passes. He is a former safety, much like current Raiders linebacker Divine Deablo, who was a full time starter for the Raiders last season at the outside linebacker spot.
That’s exactly the role they envision for Burney.
“Yeah, we think he’s a linebacker,” said Raiders GM Dave Ziegler said when I asked him what role Burney will play on the defense.
“He does also have that coverage ability that you kind of see that safety background. I think in college sometimes they line those guys up to make them play a little bit more man coverage. You don’t see a lot of linebackers in the pros play man coverage anymore. Obviously, you do it a little bit in cover one.
“One of the things we look at when we’re watching linebackers at the pro level or college level is their ability to close space and zone because that’s really what they’re asked to do more than anything else is drop into zone and close space, and he could do that. Also had a couple good plays playing tight ends and things like that down the seam.”
Ziegler and Assistant GM Champ Kelly attended the Florida pro day where they watched the 6-2, 230-pounder run a 4.5 40, showing plenty of speed to stay with tight ends and running back out of the backfield.
And until he’s ready to have a significant role on defense, he is an ideal special teams player.
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