Arizona Cardinals select Denzel Burke in 5th round of 2025 NFL Draft

Denzel Burke’s professional football dreams are coming true. The former Ohio State defensive back has been drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the fifth round with the No. 174 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Over the course of his four seasons with the Buckeyes, Burke evolved into a standout defender. He accumulated 143 total tackles, four interceptions and 28 passes defensed over the course of his time in Columbus. He also had one forced fumble.

As a recruit, Burke played high school football at Saguaro (Scottsdale, AZ), where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 166 overall recruit in the 2021 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

Denzel Burke certainly made his mark on Ohio State. He won a national title, and now he’ll be looking to bring that winning prowess with him to the next level in the NFL.

More on Denzel Burke, 2025 NFL Draft

Moreover, Lance Zierlein of NFL.com highlighted Denzel Burke’s overview as a prospect, his strengths and weaknesses. He gave the former Ohio State defensive back a fourth-round grade heading into the 2025 NFL Draft.

“Productive four-year starter with the ability to press and navigate zone coverages,” Zierlein wrote. “Burke possesses NFL size and strength to slow and control the release from press. His coverage movements are smooth, but he’s not always instinctive or natural in man coverage. Burke struggles with change of direction as a pattern-matcher and lacks the closing burst to make up for it.

“He’s capable from zone but needs to prioritize the ball over the man when breaking on the throw. He’s fierce in run support and tackles with good technique to stop ball-carriers. Burke fits as a downhill zone corner with special-teams ability.”

Additionally, his strengths include his press punch being heavy-handed and disruptive, a backpedal that’s low, smooth and rhythmic, and using play strength to bully wideouts on short targets. On the other hand, his weaknesses were listed as man coverage not coming naturally for him, getting demolished by Oregon wideouts in their first matchup and struggling to gather weight and shadow comebacks.

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