Bleacher Report: Cardinals Rookie Underdog Can Win Position Battle

The Arizona Cardinals have been hyper-aggressive in adding secondary talent in the first three seasons under general manager Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon.

The team has drafted a whopping seven cornerbacks in three draft classes to create a young, cheap room with several players showing the potential to be starters or even better.

The team nailed its 2023 third-round selection of Garrett Williams, who has quickly become one of the best nickel corners in the league. Last year's second-round pick, Max Melton, also looks like a potential long-term starter.

Starling Thomas V was signed as a UDFA in 2023 and started 15 games last season and played well. There's also excitement for 2024 third-rounder Elijah Jones, who missed last season due to injury.

Surprise Cardinals Rookie Can Compete for Playing Time

To the surprise of no one, the Cardinals drafted two more cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft. The team made a massive splash by selecting Michigan standout Will Johnson in round two. The Wolverine superstar dropped out of the first round due to long-term medical concerns, but clearly Arizona is more than confident enough in his status after making him a top-50 selection.

His upside is as high as any of his peers from this year's draft and he may be the alpha cover man the team needs outside.

The Cardinals made another investment at cornerback on day three of the draft in the form of Ohio State's Denzel Burke. The local kid was a plus-starter for the Buckeyes over his four seasons in Columbus, but he never quite lived up to his potential.

That potential, by the way, was as high as a first-round talent and future NFL starter.

He may not have played up to that billing, but there's a chance that the right coaching at the next level could harness that upside... and if that becomes the case, perhaps Burke could surpass his draft-mate, Johnson.

It's quite the claim considering the Michigan kid was once thought of as the draft's best cornerback. But that hasn't stopped Bleacher Report's Brent Sobleski from doing so.

In an article previewing rookie battles that could be won by the underdog, Sobleski highlighted Burke as a player who may challenge and usurp Johnson despite their respective draft status'. In his piece, he had this to say:

"Here's the thing about Burke: He was viewed as a potential first-round prospect based on his 2023 tape. He wasn't as consistent in 2024 and semi-reverted to the player with concerns from two years earlier... A return to form for Burke, plus proper deployment in the Cardinals' scheme, makes this a very intriguing setup."

Sobleski highlighted B/R's scouting report on Burke courtesy of its own scouting team:

"His size, athleticism and versatility make him a valuable piece for teams that utilize both man and zone coverage schemes," B/R scout Cory Giddings wrote. "With further consistency in his coverage technique and better discipline when playing the ball, Burke has the tools to become a reliable starting cornerback in the NFL."

Finally, Sobleski mentioned quotes from the Cardinals' own Jonathan Gannon on Burke:

"First, the character," head coach Jonathan Gannon said when asked about Burke, per ESPN's Josh Weinfuss. "Really good guy, really smart. He's played at the highest level. He's played a lot of ball. We liked his skill set, thought he was a scheme fit, thought he was a Cardinal and kind of felt really good about adding him where we added him."