Tag: Denzel Burke

ESPN sends CB to Jaguars in preseason mock draft

ESPN sends CB to Jaguars in preseason mock draft

“Week Zero” of the 2024 college football season is upon us.

For the average football fan, that means games are on this week. For NFL draftniks, it is time to begin scouting prospects for the next selection ceremony in April, if they have not begun that process already.

ESPN’s Field Yates certainly has, to the point where he created a preseason mock draft, slotting anticipated draft prospects to pro teams just ahead of the upcoming campaigns for college football and the NFL.

Yates slotted Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke to the Jacksonville Jaguars with the No. 15 overall pick in the first round, with the draft order determined by ESPN’s Football Power Index rankings entering the season.

The Jaguars were commonly linked to cornerbacks in this year’s first round, and they eventually took one in the third round with Jarrian Jones. But they still need help opposite Tyson Campbell. Burke has excellent suddenness and the ability to drive back toward the football as a playmaking corner (24 pass breakups in three seasons). With his great speed, he can hold up on the perimeter on downfield throws.

Jacksonville will certainly return Campbell next offseason as he signed a four-year, $76.5 million contract extension with the club in July.

But who will operate on the other side of the field for the long term remains to be seen, especially considering Jones’ projection as a hybrid outside and nickel cornerback.

Set to start at outside cornerback opposite Campbell this year is Ronald Darby, who will turn 31 before the end of the campaign and signed just a two-year deal with the Jaguars in March.

Burke has emerged as a proven coverage commodity in his time with Ohio State.

In addition to two interceptions and the 24 pass breakups Yates mentioned that he has recorded in 35 games, Burke has allowed a career coverage completion percentage of 51.7%, per Pro Football Focus.

Ohio State corner named preseason All-American

Ohio State corner named preseason All-American #GoBucks

The 2024 college football season kicks off in less than a week and we are getting the final push for preseason lists all week long. We are all aware of how talented the Ohio State football team is, but we are once again reminded thanks to the most recent Associated Press preseason All-American team.

Four Buckeyes made the first team with two more players on the second team making Ohio State the leader with six total players. One of the stars to make the first-team cut was Denzel Burke. This selection shouldn’t shock anyone as the cornerback was an absolute stud last season with nine pass break-ups and two interceptions He earned second team All-American and first team All- Big Ten honors for his efforts last season.

Burke is not only the leader of this defensive backfield, but a leader within the locker room and has been extremely vocal in regard to the reasons behind his return.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

Two Ohio State football players named to Thorpe preseason watch list

Two more Buckeyes on a preseason award watch list. This time for the Thorpe. #GoBucks

The march of college football preseason watch lists continue, and Ohio State has thus far been well represented.

On Wednesday, the Thorpe Award released its watch list and both Caleb Downs and Denzel Burke were among the 35 names appearing. The Thorpe is one of the most prestigious awards in college football and goes to the player judged to be the best defensive back in the country annually. It has been around since 1986 and is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.

You know the Buckeye duo well. Downs is coming off of a Freshman All-American campaign at Alabama, and Burke is a three-year starter and highly productive corner that will be be drafted in the NFL next April.

OSU is one of five schools that have two players appearing on the list.

Antoine Winfield and Malcom Jenkins are the only two Ohio State players that have won the Jim Thorpe Award. We’ll see if Downs or Burke can become the third when it’s announced during the Home Depot College Football Awards Show on Dec. 12.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Four Ohio State players appear on Bronko Nagurski watch list

Leading all teams with four on the list! #GoBucks

The Ohio State football team lead all teams with four players appearing on the Bronko Nagurski watch list. The award has been around since 1993 and is handed out to the player judged to be the best defensive player annually.

Of the 75 players announced on Tuesday, Buckeyes Denzel Burke, Caleb Downs, JT Tuimoloau, and Tyliek Williams were included. Iowa and Georgia are tied for second with two players each on the list.

Downs, who is entering his sophomore season, transferred from Alabama as one of the best safeties in the country last season, while the trio of Burke (cornerback), Tuimoloau (defensive end), and Williams (defensive tackle), were a part of the group of players that decided to return for one more season rather than declare for the NFL draft. All are expected to be a big part of one of the best defenses in the country this season.

The Trohpy will be awarded by the FWAA and the Charlotte Touchdown Club on December 9.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Ohio State football announces its representatives for Big Ten Media days

The three Buckeyes will join Ryan Day in Indianapolis #GoBucks

With the season quickly approaching, the first sign of the football calendar starting is the Big Ten Media days. On Thursday, the Ohio State football program announced who will join head coach [autotag]Ryan Day[/autotag] in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The three Buckeyes chosen are wide receiver [autotag]Emeka Egbuka[/autotag], cornerback [autotag]Denzel Burke[/autotag], and defensive end [autotag]Jack Sawyer[/autotag]. The choices make plenty of sense because each of the players have made significant contributions during their Ohio State careers.

Each one of them are seniors, which shouldn’t come as a surprise. It’s a right of passage to be one of the few select players to represent the Buckeyes at the event.

It will be very interesting to see what each one of them says about the upcoming season, but we do know they will represent Ohio State well in Indy.

Contact/Follow @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Michael Chen on X. 

Packers take Ohio State CB Denzel Burke in early 2025 mock draft

In a very early 2025 mock draft from Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire, the Green Bay Packers take Ohio State CB Denzel Burke.

In a way too early 2025 mock draft, Doug Farrar from Touchdown Wire has the Green Bay Packers selecting Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke with the 24th overall pick.

Listed at 6-1 – 193 pounds, Burke will enter his fourth season at Ohio State in 2024, already having played 1,898 career snaps, most of which have come on the boundary.

Over his three year career, Burke has allowed a completion rate of just 52 percent on 151 targets at 12.2 yards per catch with two interceptions and 21 pass breakups. He has a career passer rating when targeted of 74.7.

In Farrar’s mock draft, he notes Burkes’ press and match coverage abilities, which have become very valuable in today’s NFL and fits very well with what new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley wants to do in Green Bay.

For more on Burke’s game, here is a snippet of what Ian Cummings of Pro Football Network had to say in his early pre-draft scouting report:

“At 6’1″, 193 pounds, with elite explosive athleticism and a near-elite blend of speed, fluidity, and twitch, Burke passes the eye test with flying colors, and he’s also a former WR with certifiable ball skills. He’s proactive with the ball in the air and a physical, fast-flowing player in run support, too.”

The cornerback position has some question marks entering the 2025 season, although Matt LaFleur mentioned recently that he really likes the depth that they have entering training camp, with Eric Stokes fully healthy and Carrington Valentine having bulked up over the offseason.

With Jaire Alexander, Keisean Nixon, and Valentine all under contract through the 2026 season, cornerback may not be a pressing need on paper. However, depth and competition very well could be needed with Stokes and Corey Ballentine both set to be free agents next offseason–particularly if Stokes ends up elsewhere.

During Brian Gutekunst’s tenure as GM of the Packers, he has taken a cornerback in the first round twice, selecting Alexander in 2018 and Stokes in 2021. He also took Josh Jackson in the second round in 2018 as well.

This is a unit that needs more ball production this season, and the addition of Hafley as the defensive coordinator should help with some of that heavy lifting, with his vision-based and more aggressive approach on defense putting the defenders in better positions to make plays on the football.

Three Ohio State football players make Lott Impact watch list

The first of many watch lists, and likely the first of a many Ohio State players appearing on them. #GoBucks

We’re not quite in the middle of college football watch list season, but we’ll start to get some of them trickle out as we get deeper into summer. The first of those came on Thursday with the release of the 2024 Lott Impact watch list, and Ohio State is the only team with three players appearing on it.

The Lott trophy has been around since 2004 and goes to the defensive player who makes the biggest impact for the team both on and off the field based on the acronym IMPACT (Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity).

For the Buckeyes, the trio appearing among the 42 names are senior cornerback Denzel Burke, sophomore safety Caleb Downs, and senior defensive end JT Tuimoloau.

Burke had a bounce back year last season after a sophomore season in which he didn’t quite live up to what we saw during his freshman campaign. He’ll be on the shortlist of the best corners, not only in the Big Ten, but in the country.

As a freshman, Downs was one of the best defensive backs in the country at Alabama and made the difficult decision to transfer to Ohio State when Nick Saban retired. He should be a significant difference maker for OSU this fall.

Tuimoloau surprised many by coming back for his senior season. He was one of the most coveted prospects in the country when he committed to Ohio State back in 2021. He has dominated games at times and will be a part of one of the best defensive end tandems in the country, opposite fellow edge rusher Jack Sawyer.

Former linebacker and current assistant coach James Laurinaitis is the only Ohio State player to have won the Lott Trophy. He did it back in that ridiculous 2008 campaign.

We’ll continue to bring you that multitude of OSU players sure to be on preseason watch lists as things get closer and closer to the start of the 2024 season.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.

Ohio State named the top cornerback unit in college football headed into 2024 by On 3

Ohio State should be more than fine in the defensive backfield. #GoBucks

Ohio State football’s track record of developing cornerbacks of the past decade plus has been among the best in college football. 

However, it has taken a bit of a hit in recent years with no Buckeye corner being drafted in the first four rounds since Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette in 2020.  But the Buckeyes’ cornerback play took a massive leap last season, and with all three starters returning along with a lot of young talent in the room expectations are sky high for the unit.

This is backed up by On3’s college football columnist Jesse Simonton who ranked the Buckeyes as the best cornerback room in college football headed into the 2024 season in his article last week.

One of the biggest returnees for Ohio State in 2024 was Denzel Burke who will enter his fourth season as a starter. Burke is coming off the best season of his career where he was named first-team all Big Ten by the coaches.

This stat shows how far Ohio State football’s pass defense has progressed
Credit: Joseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports

Also playing boundary corner will be Davison Igbinosun, who returns for his second season with the Buckeyes.  The former Ole Miss transfer avoids mental lapses in coverage well, is a strong tackler, and plays with a high level of intensity.

Jordan Hancock who emerged as a starter for the Buckeyes’ defense last season is expected to start in the same role at slot cornerback. Hancock is reliable as a coverage defender, run defender, and blitzer.

Ohio State football regular season defensive player PFF grades
USA TODAY Sports

Also expected to play a role in the defense is Jermaine Mathews Jr., who played 192 defensive snaps in his true freshman season and showcased his potential in those reps as PFF’s highest graded freshman cornerback.

With Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West, and Miles Lockhart also on the roster, Ohio State has a lot of depth at the position and young talent that will look to develop for future seasons.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Evan Bachman on X.

Ohio State ranked first in cornerback rankings

Ohio State ranks high on this list! #GoBucks

Jesse Simonton of On3 releases his college football unit rankings throughout the off-season and a few Ohio State units have been mentioned throughout the series. On Thursday, he released his 2024 top ten cornerback unit rankings and the Buckeyes squad was top billing.

This ranking makes sense for many reasons and I think few college football fans would disagree with the placement of this unit here. Denzel Burke would have been a borderline first round selection had he declared after last season, Jordan Hancock would have also been drafted no later than the middle rounds, and Davison Igbinosun has been a dynamic physical presence since arriving to Columbus via the transfer portal from Ole Miss.

This unit was a big reason for the Buckeyes ranking first in pass defense last season and expectations are that the defense should be even better in 2024. It is also important to remember the immense depth Ohio State has at corner with Jermaine Mathews Jr. being named a Freshman All-American, true freshman, Aaron Scott Jr., enrolling with an intense amount of hype, and Calvin Simpson-Hunt also looking ready for primetime.

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes and opinion. Follow Josh Keatley on X.

The Athletic’s early 2025 mock sends CB to Jaguars in first round

The Athletic’s early 2025 mock sends a cornerback to the Jaguars in the first round

While the Jaguars selected two cornerbacks throughout the 2024 NFL draft, addressing one of their biggest positional needs by bringing in a duo of defensive backs with varying skill sets in Jarrian Jones and Deantre Prince, the question of whether Jacksonville invested enough into the spot this offseason persists.

In addition to spending third and fifth-round picks on cornerbacks, Jacksonville signed veteran Ronald Darby to a two-year contract in free agency.

The Athletic’s Dane Brugler believes the Jaguars need more long-term help on the boundary. In his first “early” 2025 NFL mock draft, Brugler slotted Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke to Jacksonville with the No. 15 overall selection.

The draft order was generated based on current Super Bowl LIX odds from an undisclosed oddsmaker.

“Burke turned down a likely spot in the top 50 of the 2024 class for one more year in Columbus. He can read and drive in the quick game or turn and stay attached to receivers vertically.” — Dane Brugler, The Athletic

The 6-foot-1, 193-pound Burke has recorded 95 tackles with six for loss, two interceptions, 27 passes defended and one forced fumble over 35 appearances with Ohio State, all of which he’s started, dating back to Week 1 of his freshman campaign.

According to Pro Football Focus, Burke has allowed 78 receptions over 151 career targets in coverage, generating a 51.7% catch rate.

Brugler’s long-term assessment of Jacksonville’s cornerback room is valid as Darby and fellow starting corner, Tyson Campbell, are not currently set to be under contract with the Jaguars beyond the 2024 campaign.

Campbell, Jacksonville’s second-round pick in 2021, became eligible for a contract extension this offseason. He’s produced 203 tackles with six for loss, six interceptions, 30 passes defended and two forced fumbles in 43 games, including 42 starts.

Darby, who signed with Jacksonville in March after nine seasons with five different teams, has tallied 401 tackles with nine for loss, eight interceptions, 97 pass breakups and one forced fumble over 105 career games and 95 starts.

Find the Jaguars’ 2024 draft class in full below.

Editor’s note; This story has been updated as cornerback Ronald Darby signed a two-year contract with Jacksonville in March, not one year as originally written. Jaguars Wire regrets this error.