As free agency looms for linebacker Preston Smith, the Redskins may look to make an addition to the edge of their defense via their first-round selection.
"Washington would probably like to see Lock or Murray available with the 15th pick if Alex Smith misses the 2019 season, or perhaps Sweat." Kadar says in his January 28th mock. "If they're all gone, the next tier of players the team might consider is Duke quarterback Daniel Jones and edge rushers Brian Burns of Florida State and Clelin Ferrell of Clemson. If the choice is a pass rusher, Burns is a better system fit than Ferrell."
In three seasons at Florida St, Burns appeared in 38 games with 25 starts tallying 124 tackles, including 39.5 for loss with 24 sacks, seven forced fumbles, seven pass breakups, three blocked kicks and two fumble recoveries.
In 2018, Burns was named a semi-finalist for the Bednarik Award, given annually to the top defensive player in college football. He was also named a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele, first-team All-ACC, and earned Team MVP and Defensive MVP honors.
During his junior year in 2018, Burns ranked first in the ACC and eighth in all of college football with an average of 0.83 sacks per game, and his 0.3 forced fumbles per game ranked third in the ACC and 31st in the country. He led the ACC with 15.5 tackles for loss, 112 TFL yards lost, 10.0 sacks and 94 sack yards lost in conference play.
As a sophomore in 2017, Burns started all 13 games at defensive end totaling 48 tackles, including 13.5 for loss with 4.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and two blocked punts. His two blocked kicks tied him for first in the ACC in that category, and was ranked third nationally. He became the first player in Seminole history to record two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery in the same game. In the Walk-On's Independence Bowl against Southern Mississippi, Burns posted three tackles, 1.5 for loss, one quarterback hurry and one pass breakup. In his last five games of the season he totaled 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
As a 5-star recruit and true freshman in 2016, He led all first year defenders nationally with 9.5 sacks, which was 25th overall in the country and seventh in the ACC. One of the nation's top first-year players, Burns captured freshmen All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), ESPN and USA Today. His 9.5 sacks were the most by a Florida State freshman since 1977. He also tallied more than one sack four times –a feat that no Seminole freshman had accomplished since 2006.
According to his Draft Network profile, Burns "already shows a variety of pass rush moves, footwork, burst and length. Has a considerably high ceiling as a pass rusher. He does well to minimize his surface area and use his hands to clear his pads. He knows how to use his feet to set up his pass rush moves and draw opponents out of their sets to soften his rush angles. He has the flexibility to corner the edge track and length to finish. His pass rushing skill set translates nicely to the NFL level. "
