Were the Scouting Reports Right? - Juston Burris

Welcome back to our series reviewing the predraft scouting reports of Jets draft picks. Today we’ll move on to the Jets’ fourth round selection in the 2016 draft, cornerback Juston Burris.

From NFL.com, here is a look at the positives of Burris’ scouting report.

Good size and weight for a cornerback. Allowed just 34.1 percent completion rate with eight passes defensed. Played press and off man. Plays with smooth backpedal and good route recognition. Has the twitch to spring into action and attack at the catch point. Uses length as disruptive tactic from press. Fluid hips and shows ability to blanket underneath. Allowed just one touchdown in 44 targets. Competitor who doesn’t back down from physical challenges. Steps downhill against the run and is willing to sacrifice his body to contain. Runs through blockers on his way to support the run and is a quality tackler with no broken tackles allowed all season.

What seems right?

• Honestly, I don’t think Burris has showcased much of this in the NFL at all.

What seems off?

• This section profiles Burris as a physical press cover corner, which was not what he looked to be. From what I was seeing, he was playing a ton of off coverage, rarely playing as physically or as close to the line as say, Morris Claiborne was. I saw Burris giving away a ton of huge cushions even though he obviously didn’t possess the makeup speed to have any business playing that way.
• I also think his tackling left a ton to be desired, even though it was featured as a positive of his predraft.

Let’s take a look at his negatives.

Relies on his length and height on deep throws over long speed. Has a high center of gravity. Struggled to maintain his base and was knocked off balance from press against Clemson. Can be too quick to declare to outside and give away separation back inside. Long, overlapping strides in mirror technique make functional change of direction a challenge. Penalized six times this season including four pass interference calls.

What seems right?

• I would agree that his change of direction and athleticism in general are both below average or possibly worse for a cornerback.
• He is not balanced at all, especially as a tackler in the open field.

What seems off?

• Penalties haven’t been a major issue, as he’s only had 3 accepted penalties over his first 2 seasons. Again, this correlates with the fact he has not played as physical of a style he was advertised to specialize in.

Poll Choice: Choice 5 (Different play style & worse performance than expected)

I’m not going to act like I expected big things out of a fourth-round pick, but I thought Burris’ physical press ability would give him a good chance of developing under Todd Bowles. Well, he has been absolutely nothing like the player he was in college. He does not play physical press coverage, used relatively often in zone looks and failing to make a hard-hitting impact off the line when he did play man. He also gave away a ton of big cushions for no apparent reason. His tackling has been terrible. All in all, this is a player who has gotten a good deal of opportunity out of the gate at a thin position group, and time and time again has completely whiffed both figuratively and literally.