Steelers Draft: Grading First Round Pick Artie Burns

With the 25th pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select … Artie Burns, cornerback, Miami.

Trumpets sound. Clouds disperse as sunlight shines through. A rainbow stretches across the horizon.

It took long enough, but the Steelers finally spent a first-round draft pick on a defensive back. In choosing University of Miami junior Artie Burns, the Steelers receive a player with fantastic upside but an unpolished skill set. Was this a quality pick for the Steelers, or merely a reach for help in the secondary? The answers lie within.

Strengths

The former Hurricane has a prototypical build for the modern NFL corner. Burns possesses above-average height for the position at 6’0″, a trait that is further amplified when his 33-inch vertical is taken into account. His 193 lb. frame allows for a synergistic mix of speed and hitting power. In college, Burns was recognized as an All-American in track and field; not surprisingly, he clocked in a 4.42 forty-yard dash at the NFL Combine.

In 2015, Burns tallied six interceptions (most on the team), 36 total tackles and a forced fumble. He started 34 games across his three years at Miami.

Burns brings both cover skills and run-stopping ability to the Steelers secondary. He is quick to react to throws and routinely battles receivers – one scout described his “soft hands and catch radius of a receiver” when in coverage. Burns adheres to a physical style, not shying away contact and utilizing press coverage effectively against receivers. He finishes tackles and lowers his shoulder with the confidence of a safety. Burns’ straight-line speed and prowess for contact makes him a breakout candidate on special teams.

Weaknesses

Although Burns has the natural athleticism of an elite playmaker, he is in need of heavy refining in terms of mechanics. He becomes sloppy in man-to-man coverage and can be overwhelmed by a good route-runner. Burns wasn’t a stranger to pass interference in college, drawing a handful of flags in 2015. In order to make up for lost ground, he tends to grab at receivers well beyond the line of scrimmage – this is a killer in the NFL.

Although his noticeable confidence and feisty demeanor can get in the heads of opponents, Burns’ temper sometimes gets the best of him and leads to personal fouls. This habit may be hard to break in a secondary as flamboyant as the Steelers’. Scouts have also criticized Burns for giving inconsistent effort on a weekly basis, not always running at 100%. We can only wait and see if this trait carries over into the pros.

Draft strategy

This pick filled a glaring need, obviously. The Steelers likely wanted to select University of Houston cornerback William Jackson III, but the Bengals decided that his talents are best left in the regular season with the 24th overall pick. Many fans on Twitter were clamoring for Pittsburgh to take UCLA linebacker Myles Jack; those same fans would have been complaining had the Steelers drafted a linebacker for the fourth consecutive year.

Burns was far from the best player available when he was selected. The Steelers opted to go the need-based route, but they could have done so at other positions with higher-ranking talent on the board. Baylor’s Andrew Billings could have provided stability at nose tackle, for example, but the Steelers were too enticed by Burns’ potential to pass him up.

Final grade: C+

Artie Burns is likely going to be a boom-or-bust prospect as a starting cornerback. If he sharpens his mechanics and quickly grasps the playbook, he will undoubtedly climb the depth chart. It’s doubtful that he starts right off the bat, but he ought to be getting extensive starting reps in the preseason and plenty of work against Antonio Brown in practice.

Burns’ immediate impact will likely occur on special teams. His speed and aggressiveness translate well to kickoff and punt coverage, and he could provide a spark to the Steelers’ usually-quiet special teams units.

Molding Burns into a true #1 corner is going to take a lot of patience. He likely would have been available in the second round had the Steelers not taken him at #25, and it’s far-fetched to assume that he will be in the starting rotation this season given his rawness.

All stats used via Sports Reference