Las Vegas Raiders Take Florida LB Amari Burney in 2023 NFL Draft

Former Florida Gators hybrid defender Amari Burney is off to Las Vegas in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Photo: Amari Burney; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Better late than never was the feel around Amari Burney's rise in 2022 and it has helped him to realize the dream of having the chance to play NFL football. 

The former hybrid defender at the University of Florida was selected No. 203 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Burney's stock trended up throughout his final season in Gainesville, though he was not ultimately invited to the NFL Combine earlier in the year. At Florida's Pro Day showcase, though, Burney reinforced some of the traits that helped him break out in the fall. 

Standing 1/8-inch under 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, Burney produced a Relative Athletic Score of 9.19 out of 10 at Florida's Pro Day, the 11th-best mark out of the 240 linebackers to partake in athletic testing drills this offseason according to RAS.football's tracking.

He posted elite marks of 4.51 seconds in the 40-yard dash — with a 1.62 10-yard split and a 2.57-second 20-yard split — and seven seconds in the three-cone drill. His 33-inch vertical and 10-foot broad are also considered above-average-to-good outcomes for a second-level defender. 

"I just had to be patient. I'd been working and just, to go out there and do what I knew I could do was a great feeling," Burney told All Gators. "I got great feedback from [scouts]. A lot of them were just shocked that I didn't get a Combine invite, that my 40 time was great for a linebacker my size. Broad jump, vert, bench too." 

As a 'super' senior in 2022, thanks to the extra year of eligibility the pandemic created throughout college sports, Burney accumulated single-season career highs in several statistical categories, with four sacks, nine tackles for loss, two interceptions, four pass breakups and two forced fumbles. His 79 total tackles were also a personal record.

 "I'm gonna put my best foot forward to stay on the team and make my mark in the league," he said. 

Entering UF at 6-foot-1, 215 pounds out of Clearwater, Fla., Burney moved throughout the back-seven during his time in Gainesville between safety and several different linebacker roles between two coaching staffs he played under. Overall, he logged more than 2,500 snaps in orange and blue.

He'll now head to a defense that ranked in the bottom five of the league a season ago, allowing 353.3 yards per game. There, he can provide aid to Patrick Graham's unit with his ability to stop the run, drop back in coverage or rush the passer as a versatile Swiss army knife in the second level.

Burney is Florida's sixth prospect selected in the 2023 NFL Draft, following: 

• QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts, first round, No. 4 overall
• DL Gervon Dexter, Chicago Bears, second round, No. 53 overall
• OL O'Cyrus Torrence, Buffalo Bills, second round, No. 59 overall
• LB Ventrell Miller, Jacksonville Jaguars, fourth round, No. 121 overall
• WR Justin Shorter, Buffalo Bills, fifth round, No. 150 overall

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