SI All-American Candidate Denzel Burke Highlights and Evaluation
Prospect: Denzel Burke
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 6-foot, 190 pounds
Position: Wide Receiver
School: Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro
Committed to: Ohio State
Projected Position: Burke can play on the perimeter as a wide receiver, work from inside in the slot or be a cornerback in college.
Frame: Wiry and athletic frame that appears to be wound fairly tight. Has solid room to add more bulk while maintaining flexibility.
Athleticism: Despite his 4.72 40-time at The Opening Regional last year, he has very good quickness and play speed at both receiver and defensive back. Agile perimeter prospect who uses good release quickness to explode off the line as a receiver. Good balance and agility at breakpoints. As a defensive back, displays outstanding foot quickness to mirror at the line and has hips to turn and run with ease.
Instincts: Lines up mainly on perimeter on offense and runs mostly posts, outs and gos. Flashes decent upfield transition after the catch and has good awareness and elusiveness to make the first defender miss. Good patience in press and off-man coverage as a corner with transition quickness to insert himself inside passing lanes.
Polish: A deep threat, Burke’s top traits are his release quickness and speed. He has good separation ability out of his breaks and tracks throws well through the third level. His athleticism and speed compensate for him not running a full route tree just yet, and he will need to improve his route stemming and lowering his pad level at breakpoints. Burke also needs to be more consistent plucking the ball naturally with his mitts in order to grow his strike zone. He should develop into a more well-rounded receiver after a few seasons of college development. If not, Burke has a high ceiling as a cornerback.
Bottom Line: Fluid, fast and quick, Burke plays for powerhouse Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro and has played against some top competition, though he had to sit out five games due to transferring from Phoenix (Ariz.) Brophy Prep. He is a deep threat as a receiver and competes at the point of attack when asked to block. His agility, foot quickness and athleticism also make him a very good cover corner, where it would not be surprising to see him playing at the next level.