What Ohio State CB Brings to Cardinals

Welcome home, Denzel Burke!

The Arizona Cardinals selected the Saguaro High School alum in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Burke spent the entirety of his collegiate career with Ohio State, where he saw more than his fair share of playing time.

During his time in Columbus we saw highs and lows, but the consensus felt as though he could/should make it to the next level.

Lo and behold here we are, and with a return to where everything started.

Burke will join a defense that has depth from the front to the back end, but perhaps none more so than the cornerback position. It’s a blessing for some, and a curse for others. Our question is which side of that coin does Burke fall?

What Cardinals Got in Denzel Burke

Accomplishments

• Four-star recruit in the 2021 high school class

• National Champion (2024)

• Freshman All-American

• First-Team All-Big Ten (2023)

• Third-Team All-Big Ten (2021)

• 2x Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (2022, 2024)

• 28 career pass deflections

• 51 games played

2025 NFL Draft Profile

• Standard build for corner (5’11,186 lbs)

• 50-start club for Ohio State

• Classic press mentality with punch off the line and good back pedal

• Gamblers mentality when ball is in the air — limited turnover production (three career interceptions)

• Struggles with consistent coverage

• Willing run defender

What The Tape Shows

Burke is who he is at this point after playing his entire collegiate career with Ohio State — the majority of which he started. He’s a fine player with clear limitations, but he’s capable of playing with the next level.

What’s so weird for Burke is he displays all the things you need and want to see for defensive back preparing for a jump to the next level. The natural instincts are there for playing the position, but there’s a severe lack of consistency with finishing those reps.

It’s so peculiar to look at the amount of starts and reliability that he gave the Buckeyes to go along with a lack of development on a year to year basis… But perhaps all going to change now that he’s set to learn from a professional coaching staff.

Role for 2025

Going to the Cardinals is one of the best case scenarios that Burke could’ve had forced track to the pros. But the reason the fit is so nice doesn’t have as much to do with a scheme fit or anything like that.

Rather, it’s the fact that he’s going to a deep room where the Cardinals can take their time developing him.

We know that there’s no shortage of depth at corner for the cards, which makes it a perfect spot for just about any defensive back to start their career. Even second-round pick Will Johnson will not be forced onto the field immediately because of that depth.

This makes it a perfect scenario for a player like Burke, who needs some polishing

I mentioned earlier that we know what Burke is at this point, but a guy of his caliber may steal some how have some untapped potential… No matter how unlikely. But the only way to find out is to give him a chance to sit and learn. And that’s exactly what he has here.

Burke will still be able to find his way onto the field with how much Arizona likes to rotate their defenders, and that will be a good thing for him to still be getting live reps. I would still bet on the majority of his playing time to be on special teams, But it’s not impossible for him to find the field.