Raiders Sixth Round Pick LB Amari Burney, Florida

The Las Vegas Raiders 2023 NFL Draft led by GM Dave Ziegler is being lauded around the league, and now we hear from sixth round pick, LB Amari Burney from Florida.

HENDERSON, Nev.--The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off the 2023 NFL Draft with an exceptional haul of young players to help the Silver and Black on their road back to success.

One of those players is linebacker Amari Burney, who they selected in the sixth round. You can watch his press conference below and read the transcript:

Las Vegas Raiders sixth-round pick (No. 203 overall) – Linebacker Amari Burney

Q: What type of interaction had you had with the Raiders and were you expecting maybe to go here?

Burney: "The real, I hadn't spoke to the Raiders through the process. My agent called me like five minutes before the Raiders had a pick, and he was like: 'They were looking at me.' And then all of a sudden, I got a number calling me and it was like: 'They're going to pick me for the sixth round.' And it just felt surreal. So, no, I wasn't speaking to them during the process."

Q: Obviously being a converted defensive back to linebacker and then you led your team in interceptions last season. How effective do you feel like you can be when it's time to cover as a linebacker against tight ends and just in coverage in general?

Burney: "I can be very effective. I feel like when I'm in coverage you don't have to double the man that I'm guarding, so you can use the safety to be a rat or something like that. But very effective; I had the best hands on Florida last year, which I keep saying – my hands are great. I used to play receiver, so I don't drop too many interceptions."

Q: You played with C.J. Gardner-Johnson and he was a versatile defensive back. How has he helped you into the player you are today in converting from the back end now to the second level?

Burney: "I played with him my freshman year, so I was just the guy behind him. When he'd get tired, I’d come into the game. But just the way he played the game, his enthusiasm, the swagger he played with, that was something I tried to copy this year. And I feel like the more swag you play with, the better you play. When you're on the field, you can't be that quiet guy that's too timid and all that. You've got to go out there, you've got to talk your talk, and then you've got to back it up. So, I feel like I learned that from him. When you bring out that swag, I feel like it gives you more confidence to go out there and play the best game you can."

Q: You've already had the opportunity to play out here in Las Vegas during the Las Vegas Bowl. Just wondering what that experience was like for you? And being a captain in that bowl game, how did you take on that leadership role?

Burney: "The experience was great. That was my first time being in Vegas. I grew up watching Vegas movies. The lights and all that, we got to experience that. But just going out there for the first time and seeing the mountains – they looked fake to me. That's what I was talking to my teammates about. But then me being a captain, I feel like that was a big responsibility for me to go out there. We lost a couple players to the draft who didn't play in the game and I was one of the oldest guys on the team, so I feel like I was just trying to get my team ready and tell them like: 'This is not just a bowl game, we're trying to win the game.' We didn't get the outcome that we wanted, but I feel like we played to the best of our abilities with what we had on the field."

Q: What do you know about this organization in terms of its history and tradition? And what was the discussion like when they called you to tell you that you were drafted?

Burney: "I know a little bit about them. I know they have Maxx Crosby. I saw what he did when they had the Hard Knocks special. I grew up watching Hard Knocks, so when he was on there that was a team I was looking at. And then my cousin, he plays for the Raiders right now, Brandon Facyson. So, it was surreal for the Raiders to call me and then the feeling I had was I was shaking. I didn't want to cry, but I think like two tears dropped from my eyes a little bit. But I was just really shaking, I couldn't really speak when we were on the phone talking. And it just really feels surreal that I get to play with my cousin, he plays for the Raiders right now. My Mom was talking about it a long time ago. She was like: 'What if the Raiders call you and then you get to reunite with your cousin for the first time?' So, this feeling is great right now."

Q: Have you talked to Brandon Facyson yet? And what is your favorite Vegas Movie?

Burney: "Oh, yeah. Brandon just called me, he called me a few seconds ago. We just chatted a little bit. He's got an apartment, so I told him: 'Give me a room in the apartment.’ I'm not trying to buy my own right now. But my favorite Las Vegas Movie is probably Casino. I just watched it a couple months ago and that was one of my favorite Vegas movies."

Round 1 No. 7 overall pick: Tyree Wilson, DE, Texas Tech

Round 2 No. 35 overall pick: Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame

Round 3 No. 70 overall: Byron Young, DT, Alabama

Round 3 No. 100 overall: Tre Tucker, WR, Cincinnati

Round 4 No. 104 overall: Jakorian Bennett, CB, Maryland

Round 4 No. 135 overall: Aidan O'Connell, QB, Purdue

Round 5 No. 170 overall: Christopher Smith II, S, Georgia

Round 6 No. 203 overall: Amari Burney, LB, Florida

Round 7 No. 231 overall: Nesta Jade Silvera, DT, Arizona State

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