Fan of Rashan Gary Latest Pass Rusher to Have NFL Draft Visit with Packers

Oregon defensive end Jordan Burch, who lists Rashan Gary among his favorite players to watch, is having a predraft visit with the Green Bay Packers on Tuesday.

Burch, whose visit was reported by The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman, had 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for losses in 10 games in 2024. In 58 games in five seasons, he recorded 16 sacks, 31 TFLs and 11 passes defensed.

At the Scouting Combine, he measured 6-foot-4 1/8 and 279 pounds with 33-inch arms. He didn’t participate in enough tests to earn a Relative Athletic Score but ran his 40-yard dash in 4.67 seconds

Burch is Dane Brugler’s 10th-ranked edge rusher and No. 52 overall prospect. He was given a second-round grade by Brugler but could slip due to the number of talented pass rushers in the draft.

NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah projected Burch as more of a fringe second-rounder.

“He’s so big, but he is kind of more of a finesse player than a real physical player,” Jeremiah said in a conference call. “Not real violent guy, but he is nifty. He plays to that long-arm move. He has a real steady bull rush. Not real dynamic, twitchy, explosive. He can hold up with his length at the point of attack, and he does play really hard to close and chase plays from the back side.”

A native of Columbia, S.C., Burch is a former five-star recruit who was rated above NFL stars including Will Anderson and Jalen Carter. He was a star defensive end and tight end in high school before settling in at defensive end for his college career.

He committed to South Carolina in 2020, playing three seasons for the Gamecocks before transferring to Oregon in 2023.

The talent and traits are not in question. Technique and consistency? That’s another story, though of the 141 draft-eligible edge defenders, he ranked 21st in pass-rush win rate, according to Pro Football Focus.

Burch’s skill-set is one the Packers have valued with their defensive linemen. They like their pass rushers to line up inside and outside. Gary lined up as a defensive end last season but also took some snaps as a rover defender in the way that Za’Darius Smith used to be used under Mike Pettine. Gary and Lukas Van Ness have reduced inside in obvious passing situations, due in large part to their size.

At 279 pounds, Burch is not a small man. He’s heavier than Gary and Van Ness, which means he should be able to hold up against some of the bigger guards that he’ll face in the NFL.

Gary is someone that likes watching, and could be someone that helps him hone his craft as he transitions to the NFL. He was also a big fan of another former Packer and a Future Hall of Famer.

“Growing up, I'd say Julius Peppers (was my favorite player). Right now, Rashan Gary, Trey Hendrickson.”

Burch was not just at the Combine to pay homage to those who had come before him. His speed and explosiveness were on display during his Combine workout and fit how the Packers prefer their edge rushers to attack the quarterback. Gary is much better when he’s trying to rush through offensive tackles as opposed to going around them. Van Ness’ best flashes have come when he’s rushing with power, as well.

“Guys with power. I think everybody in this group's pretty good and everybody has their different things they're good at,” Burch said at the Combine. “I feel like I bring power to that situation for that and I'm a bigger guy. So, if you need power on your team, I'm the guy you go to.”

In today’s NFL, with run-pass option plays having become more prevalent, getting the quarterback uncomfortable in the pocket is usually done well by going through tackles instead of around them. That can limit escape options for mobile quarterbacks.

The Packers were very open about their game plans last year of trying to keep quarterbacks like Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and Indianapolis’ Anthony Richardson in the pocket. Keeping the quarterback caged in the pocket allows the defense to work within its structure, which is something Burch believes he is able to do well.

“I'd say my rushes, my power rushes,” he said. “Getting into them, trying to balance the pocket out, trying to squeeze the pocket cage the quarterback. I think that'd be one of my great aspects to bring it to the NFL.”

Squeezing the pocket and caging the quarterback is something the Packers want to be better at. Coach Matt LaFleur noted that no quarterback has ever completed a pass when he was on his back.

The pass rush, for all the investment and fanfare it received a season ago, was not consistent enough.

Brian Gutekunst said he wasn’t going to chase pass rushers, but he’s also said in the past there are never enough quality rushers.

Perhaps both things are true, and he won’t reach in the first round for someone he does not feel fits exactly what they need in their defensive front.

It’s also clear, based on the number of rushers he’s brought in during the reported top-30 visits, that he’s interested in adding some juice to a unit that he wants to finish games once they are playing with a lead.

“We've got to be able to get after the quarterback with four,” Gutekunst said bluntly. “We've got to affect the quarterback more with just four players.”

Later, he added what sounded like a mission statement to his defensive line.

“It needs to be able to control the game when we need to control the game and finish games off.”

Perhaps Burch will be the one added to help finish off games.

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