When the 2018 season began, Brian Burns was coming off a sub-par sophomore season that had Florida State fans wondering if he was really going to become the Seminoles' next star defensive end.
Burns answered that question in resounding fashion during the fall, leading the ACC in sacks per game and ranking fifth in the conference in tackles for loss. He also ranked in the top five in the nation for QB pressures as he constantly harassed opposing signal-callers during the 2018 season.
Burns' performance as a junior, along with his impressive showing at the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, has the South Florida native poised to have his name called Thursday night in Nashville during the first round of the NFL Draft.
If he does get selected on Thursday, Burns would become the ninth FSU defensive end drafted in the first round and the 45th Seminole overall.
Based on the most recent comments and predictions from NFL draft analysts, it seems certain Burns will be taken in the first round. The only question appears to be: How soon will he hear his name called?
The Associated Press had Burns going No. 10 overall to the Denver Broncos in a mock draft released Monday.
Peter King has the Cincinnati Bengals taking Burns with the No. 11 overall pick.
"In the last week, Burns has gotten very hot," King wrote. "Because he runs in the low 4.5s and there aren’t enough edge-rushers for this voracious market. He has some weaknesses, like his size (he’ll probably play around 248), but I think he’ll be gone by pick 20. I think his floor is Tennessee at 19."
NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah had the Redskins taking Burns with the 15th overall pick in a mock draft he released last week.
"I still have Washington as the likely landing spot for Josh Rosen, which would take the 'Skins out of the quarterback derby," Jeremiah wrote. "So, their pass rush took a hit with the departure of Preston Smith. Enter Burns."
The Florida State junior is considered by many to be one of the most polished pass-rushers available. He has great speed coming off the edge and a variety of moves to try and get to the quarterback.
What Burns doesn't have, as King alluded to, is great size. He added significant weight before the combine and still posted a very fast 40-yard dash, so that bodes well for him maintaining his athleticism if he keeps the weight.
"He's the best edge rusher on my board," ESPN's Mel Kiper wrote in one of many of his mock drafts. "He can bend the edge as well as any pass-rusher in this class."
If you search every mock draft available on the Internet (and there are seemingly thousands), Burns is in almost all of them as a first-round pick. He was as high as No. 8 to the Lions in one and as low as No. 21 to the Seahawks in another. He was also mentioned multiple times with the Atlanta Falcons at No. 14.
Either way, on Thursday night he is expected to join an elite fraternity of former FSU football players who went on to be first-round selections.
The Fort Lauderdale product will be in Nashville for the festivities. As will Florida State head coach Willie Taggart, who said last week this will be the first time he's been to the NFL Draft.
The first round is set to begin Thursday at 8 p.m. and will be broadcast by ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network.
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