Although with his raw play, he may sit for a year before seeing significant play time.
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3rd (79), Markus Wheaton, WR, Oregon State B+ Wheaton is the much more likely candidate for a DeCastro-like, fourth-year coming out party as he’s been a solid contributor who’s steadily improved in his three years and has shown occasional flashes of high-level play.
The Steelers other starting cornerback position is up for grabs. “He is good at the ball down the field”, Tomlin said. Many thought William Jackson III was a lock for the Black & Gold at 25, but he was scooped up by the rival Bengals at 24. With plenty of talented defensive lineman still on the board in the latter portion of the second round, the Steelers went in a different direction, snatching up Maryland corner/safety hybrid Sean Davis.
Davis did not become a star during a four-year career in College Park, but he began to earn a lot of draft buzz as the event got closer. Though at least one notable projection (ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.) slotted him in the first round, most had Burns in the second. Now, another Bulldog player is headed to the Steel City. “I know I’m going to end up somewhere, and wherever I end up, I’m going to make the best of it”. Instead, their division rival drafted him one pick before them.
The Steelers have had a recent run of taking University of Miami players.
What can we expect out of Burns? Similar to West Virginia safety Karl Joseph, he uses his elite closing speed to separate the ball from backs, receivers and tight ends, both at the line of scrimmage, and in the secondary.
Pittsburgh’s sack leaders, with 13.5 combined, were largely ineffective (just one quarterback hit between them) against the Super Bowl Champion Broncos in the playoffs. “There’s big receivers and when you look for corners and find somebody with that kind of length, that kind of speed, that kind of athleticism (you take him)”. Either way, he still needs a lot of coaching and isn’t quite, “NFL ready”. Last year’s regular season saw him finish 44 receptions for 749 yards and 5 touchdowns. It is true that he may develop into a talent that is better deserving of that status, but as it currently stands, there are many greater talents that they could have had there that they will now be unable to have.
As I looked at this pick more and more, Burns is not a bad pick for the Steelers.
Burns has the athletic ability, build and mindset a team would want in a starting cornerback but has to work on his technique.
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6th (186), Justin Brown, WR, Oklahoma B- Stuck with the team for two years, one on the active roster and caught a dozen National Football League passes, typical sixth-round stuff.
