Denzel

Burke

As a freshman in 2021, Burke (5’11/186) immediately established himself as a high-level collegiate player, becoming the first freshman to start the opener for OSU since Andy Katzenmoyer. His play crested in 2023 when he earned First Team All-B10 recognition with eight PBUs 23 stops three interceptions and an 81.7 cover grade. Despite starting all 16 games of Ohio State’s National Championship run, Burke allowed a troubling 72.3% catch rate for 413 yards with a meager 7.2% forced incompletion rate. Enthusiastic in run support, the four-year starter recorded 48 tackles with 3.0 TFLs last season. He ran a 77th percentile 4.48s 40, but opted out of any further testing at the Combine. Burke is a little sluggish mirroring receivers through their breaks and has difficulty with double moves on vertical routes. This deficiency was exploited by Oregon with Burke getting smoked for seven receptions on seven targets in a 162-yard baptism by fire, allowing the only two touchdowns he would surrender all season. More comfortable in zone (81.0 zone grade) than man (58.5 grade), Burke should be able to carve out a role in the zone-heavy NFL.

Burke (6'0/190) was originally a four-star athlete when he committed to Ohio State and has since evolved into a player who could be very valuable moving forward. He finished out last season with 37 total tackles (28 solo) with 12 passes defended, one interception and one touchdown. Burke among the names mentioned when Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus released his list of defensive back breakout candidates. How he meets those expectations will be something to watch in 2022.

Burke (6'0/190) opted in with the Buckeyes over fellow finalists USC, Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Quite the miss for the Pac-12 given the programs in the running, here. A versatile athlete with chops at both receiver and cornerback, look for the Scottsdale native to slot into OSU’s defense once he hits Columbus this winter. Burke’s high school coach compares him to another of his old pupils, Byron Murphy. On the 247Sports composite board, Burke slots in as the No. 183 overall prospect in the 2021 class.

Burke (6'0/190) would like to start setting up visits and the like, but if the current dead period continues to draw out (it’ll go through June 30, at least), it’s possible that we see the Scottsdale native fast-track his commitment timetable. The four-star athlete could potentially play either receiver or cornerback at the collegiate level. Rivals -- who strictly lists Burke at corner, we’ll note -- ranks him as the No. 141 overall prospect in the 2021 class.

Those schools, in order of their placement on Burke’s graphic: Ohio State, LSU, Oregon, Washington, Texas, Arizona State, Auburn, Nebraska, USC and Colorado. Burke is considered one of the best “Athletes” in the class in 247Sports’ rankings, but he’s more than likely going to be playing wideout as the collegiate level. There are no Crystal Ball Projections from the recruiting site at this time, so it sounds like any of these 10 schools have a chance. For now.