Gators 2023 NFL Draft Profile: LB Amari Burney

Amari Burney experienced a breakout year in the new-look Gators defense in 2022. How could his skill set fit in an NFL defense?

Photo: Amari Burney; Credit: Alex Shepherd

The 2023 NFL Draft is approaching, marking the peak of the professional football offseason. 

As NFL free agency cools down after the initial surge to fill spots of need, teams are solidifying their big boards for the eventful selection period set to take place from April 27-29.

Multiple University of Florida talents are in the midst of preparing for the draft process. Eight of the 11 entrants recently participated in the NFL Combine. They finalized their athletic metrics at the school's Pro Day on March 30.

In anticipation of the selection ceremony, All Gators will provide player draft profiles for the 11 Florida representatives. The series will include the player's history, strengths, weaknesses, scouting report, best fit and most up-to-date Gators-centric mock draft selection.

Following profiles for quarterback Anthony Richardson, offensive guard O'Cyrus Torrence and defensive lineman Gervon Dexter Sr., edge rusher Brenton Cox Jr., safety Trey Dean III, linebacker Ventrell Miller and safety Rashad Torrence II, linebacker Amari Burney is our next prospect of focus.

Player History

Burney was considered a top-15 safety prospect in the class of 2018, per the 247Sports composite rankings, then a bigger-bodied defensive back recruit at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds. 

Three position changes later, it appeared Burney was a longshot to emerge as a legitimate NFL Draft prospect by the end of his 2021 senior season. But a fresh start with a new coaching staff and scheme, paired with a COVID-19 eligibility extension, turned into a breakout season and intrigue from the pros.

Burney began his with time spent at safety, STAR nickel corner and outside linebacker as a freshman, making a name for himself at the third spot with a sack and pass breakup in UF's 41-15 victory over Michigan in the 2018 Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl.

He moved to inside linebacker that offseason on an upward trajectory within Todd Grantham's defense, but the latest change resulted in subpar play and limited him to a rotational role at the spot and occasionally back in the nickel for several years. From 2019-21, Burney appeared in 33 games but only started nine, including two as a true senior. 

Enter head coach Billy Napier and one-year UF defensive coordinator Patrick Toney, who pushed Burney to new heights on the field in his fifth year of eligibility.

In a hybrid inside/outside linebacker role within Toney's scheme, Burney produced single-season career-highs of 79 total tackles, four sacks, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, six passes defended and two forced fumbles. He started in all 13 games.

Burney will long be remembered by Florida fans for his victory-sealing interception in Week 1 of the 2022 season, securing an upset win at home over No. 7 Utah.

Amari Burney with the game-clinching pick! #Gators pic.twitter.com/gk23ksWq9e

— Zach Abolverdi (@ZachAbolverdi) September 4, 2022

Strengths

• Ample playing experience at numerous positions: Inside linebacker, outside linebacker/EDGE, nickel corner and safety.
• Thrived in a pass-rushing role: Created pressure on 19.1% of career rushes (per Pro Football Focus). Expanded opportunities as a "creeper" rusher led to four sacks in 2022.
• Playmaker when the ball is in front of him. Coverage highlights (interceptions, pass breakups) were often made downhill. 
• Didn't often miss tackles in college: 10 tackles made for every one miss, and misses occurred once every 88.5 snaps (PFF).
• Grew more comfortable with run fits each season at linebacker. 
• Nearly 2,500 total college snaps without a major injury.
• Over 500 career special teams snaps, on kick/punt returns and coverages, and field goal blocks.

Concerns

• Coverage, particularly man-to-man: Career completion percentage allowed of 71.6% across 134 targets, 11.2 yards given up per catch (PFF). 
• Unlikely to fit in a primarily four-down front defense where coverage responsibilities are greater at linebacker.
• Underweight compared to average NFL linebackers, although height and length are good.
• Late bloomer with inconsistent tape at numerous positions. 

Scouting Report

Burney isn't an easy evaluation and won't be every team's favorite prospect. He isn't scheme universal and was not a consistently dependable player, purely in terms of ability, until the fifth year and second scheme of his college career despite development attempts at several positions.

There is plenty of evidence, however, that Burney can be an impactful player if his coaching staff puts him in a position to be successful. The Gators did so in 2022.

Burney spent 538 snaps in the tackle box and another 160 on the edges of the defense as a fifth-year senior, making him the unit's chess-piece "creeper" rusher with the ability to simulate pressure from numerous angles. 

Moving around the tackle box, within a reasonable distance of the line of scrimmage, allowed Burney to comfortably play the run and rush the passer. Pairing the play-strength required to shed blocks and athleticism to shoot gaps or shuffle sideline-to-sideline to prevent an opening, Burney proved to be a dependable run defender in the new role when the defensive line played with gap integrity. 

The alignment split not only allowed Burney to make an impact around and behind the line — he posted the Gators' second-most defensive stops with 36 and eighth-most QB pressures with 12 — but it also lowered his percentage of coverage snaps (40.9%) significantly compared to years past (54.8% in 2021, 53.1% in 2020 and 64.8% in 2019).

Yet, as noted above, he made more impact coverage plays in 2022 than any other season.

Burney is a capable coverage defender when the passing play is in front of him, which should allow him to play on later downs at the next level in certain packages. However, his lack of prowess in man-to-man and range to play deeper zones will limit those opportunities. Florida kept Burney out of such situations throughout his final season in orange and blue.

Best Fit(s)

Of the eight teams Burney met or spoke with in the draft process — the Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Philadelphia Eagles and New York Giants, he told All Gators — seven tend to deploy multiple fronts around three down defensive linemen at the line of scrimmage. 

Florida's defense operated similarly in 2022, when Burney hit his stride. 

Burney's fit at the second level isn't as traditional as fellow former Florida linebacker and 2023 NFL Draft prospect Ventrell Miller, simply because he isn't a traditional linebacker. That's fine, defenses aren't traditional in structure anymore and teams like the ones above can offer him a role. 

Burney is a candidate to be selected on day three or sign an undrafted free agent deal quickly after the draft as a result.

All Gators' final mock draft selection

April 26: Round 5, Pick 157 — Baltimore Ravens

March 20: Undrafted

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