Ben

Burr-Kirven

He was waived with a failed physical designation. Burr-Kirven was working as a starter last August before suffering a torn ACL. It looks like his recovery from that injury has not been smooth. A fifth-round pick in 2019, Burr-Kirven should get looks on the open market if his knee is healthy.

The 2019 fifth-round pick was working the Seattle’s starting defense and was expected to begin the regular season as a starter. Burr-Kirven has a long injury history; he required sports hernia surgery in 2019. He’s expected to miss the entire 2021 season.

Burr-Kirven had sports-hernia surgery this offseason, but he was always expected back ahead of preseason games. The No. 142 overall pick was the Pac-12 DPOY and showed 4.56 speed at the NFL Combine. If Burr-Kirven can hold up as an undersized linebacker, the Seahawks could have a bargain on their hands.

It sounds like the No. 142 overall pick will be ready for training camp. A SPARQ star with impressive tape, Burr-Kirven will start on special teams with a chance at carving out a role on defense.

Burr-Kirven (6’0/230) was a two-year starter on the Huskies’ defensive second level, earning Pac-12 DPOY as a senior and graduating with 11.5 career tackles for loss, four picks, and six forced fumbles. PFF College graded Burr-Kirven as the No. 4 linebacker nation in 2018. Burr-Kirven solidified his stock with 82nd-percentile SPARQ results at the Combine, running 4.56 with a particularly impressive 6.85 three-cone time. Despite less-than-ideal height-weight measurables, Burr-Kirven’s tape reveals a magnet to the football with striking ability and pass-coverage skills, giving him legitimate three-down upside. This is the second linebacker the Seahawks have selected in this draft, joining Cody barton in round 3.

Burr-Kirven (6’0/230) was a two-year starter on the Huskies’ defensive second level, earning Pac-12 DPOY as a senior and graduating with 11.5 career tackles for loss, four picks, and six forced fumbles. PFF College graded Burr-Kirven as the No. 4 linebacker nation in 2018. Burr-Kirven solidified his stock with 82nd-percentile SPARQ results at the Combine, running 4.56 with a particularly impressive 6.85 three-cone time. Despite less-than-ideal height-weight measurables, Burr-Kirven’s tape reveals a magnet to the football with striking ability and pass-coverage skills, giving him legitimate three-down upside. This is the second linebacker the Seahawks have selected in this draft, joining Cody barton in round 3.

The question around Burr-Kirven (6'0/230) is if his high-end college production will translate since he’s smaller than the average linebacker. Jeremiah isn’t overly bullish on him, but he does note that today’s linebackers aren’t face-to-face with lineman and tight ends in the run game as much as they once were. That’s great news for his projection because Burr-Kirven plays with decent 4.56-speed and should be able to hang around on passing downs in the NFL.

In the scouting director’s opinion, Washington’s defensive line played a significant role in Burr-Kirven’s success. “That defensive line did a great job of protecting him so he could run around and make a bunch of plays. He’s a fun player to watch, but I don’t think the production translates,” the exec told Zierlein. Burr-Kirven (6'0/230) isn’t the biggest linebacker, with his size likely to be an issue for some NFL teams, but there’s no arguing with his on-field production at Washington. The 2018 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and a first team AP All-American, he racked up 176 total tackles (94 solo), two sacks and two interceptions last season.

Burr-Kirven (6'0/230) performed as expected at the NFL Combine, showing high-end explosion and solid straight-line speed. The linebacker recorded a 34.5-inch vertical and a 124-inch broad jump, both clearing average starting linebacker scores. On the field, Burr-Kirven racked up tackles like a freak, finishing the year with 94 solo tackles, which was the most in this year’s class. Although he hasn’t received much Day 1 buzz, we are bullish on his chances at being an NFL starting backer.

As Trapasso notes, this is far from the consensus ranking. In fact, we haven’t seen Burr-Kirven listed at all among the top players at his position. That doesn’t make Trapasso right or wrong, it’s just worth pointing out. One of the reasons Burr-Kirven hasn’t ranked highly is because he’s listed at 6-foot, 220-pounds, but Trapasso believes that size helps him make plays on the football, and with 176 tackles for one of the best defenses in college football, he just might be right. “The combine will either cement his status as my favorite linebacker prospect in this class or push him down a bit,” writes Trapasso. “Either way, he’s a twitchy, refined second-level defender ideally suited for the modern-day NFL.”