Jordan Burney Scouting Report

Safety, West Chester University, #33

 

Jordan Burney Scouting Report Measurements

 

4.4 40

4.41 shuttle

37” vertical

120” broad

 

6’2” 205 lbs.

 

We’re going deep on this one. I highlighted some small school players earlier, and I’ve got more to shine a light on. What can I say? I’m an Idaho alumni, I root for the underdog and I love uncovering hidden gems. 

High School

Jordan Burney attended Conwell-Egan Catholic High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania. The Eagles had numerous injuries and Burney was asked to switch from receiver to fullback and linebacker. That’s quite a change, and he became a two way player, but he excelled at both new positions. This lead smaller colleges to take notice. I’ll let Jordan tell you how he ended up at West Chester University.

College

“My recruiting process was short and concise. I always had an interest in West Chester University, and the scouts expressed interest in me as well. They told me I had a spot waiting for me once I finished prep school,  and that’s exactly what happened. Once entering West Chester and stepping foot on the field, it felt like home. Both coaches and teammates were a great fit, and it showed when we played.”

Burney was a four year starter at West Chester. He racked up 134 tackles, 78 of them solo. Burney also added two sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. After a successful college career, Burney was invited to participate in the Dream Bowl. The Dream Bowl is a postseason all star game for the best FCS, D-II and D-III players. 

 

Jordan Burney Strengths

 

Heart

 

Jordan Burney was a player I wanted to cover, not just because of his talent at a small school, but because of what he has overcome in his life. His story is almost unbelievable. Burney was in the Promise Program during his time at West Chester, because he was homeless. His mother had addiction issues, forcing Burney to take care of himself and his younger brother. Burney’s mother ended up passing away the day before he graduated. He took it upon himself to handle the funeral arrangements and continue caring for his younger brother. I honestly don’t know how Burney was able to accomplish what he has with the circumstances he has had to deal with. But I’ll tell you one thing, teams don’t need to worry about him quitting on them.

 

Hitting/Tackling

 

They don’t call him The Hitman for nothing. I saw numerous plays where Burney was able to put a big, but legal, hit on a receiver to separate ball from man. I was almost a little worried that he just put the big shoulder hits on opposing players, but he also has great technique as well. He seems to know exactly when to lower the boom and when to wrap up. But don’t worry, his wrap up hits are stiff too. Burney also does a good job of dealing with blockers in order to get to the guy he wants to tackle. 

 

All Around Player

 

I like to watch defensive backs and make sure they’re solid against the pass and the run. Defensive backs, especially safeties, need to be able to help stuff the run in the NFL. Burney is actually good at three aspects of defense instead of two and I’ll explain. He’s solid in pass coverage. Burney breaks up a lot of passes as well as the aforementioned hits that cause incompletitions. He covered receivers deep, tight ends over the middle and running backs coming out of the backfield. I was impressed that he looked comfortable no matter who he was covering. 

 

It’s probably not surprising that “The Hitman” is strong against the run. I saw numerous plays where he came up and filled the gaps in the heart of the offensive line to take down the running back. He was also good when the play was stretched to the outside. Burney is a sideline to sideline player. He took down running backs bouncing it outside and quarterbacks who decided to scramble out.

 

Finally, there’s the third phase of the game I mentioned. It’s not special teams, but pass rush. He’s an excellent blitzer. His sack numbers don’t reflect it, but time after time on blitzes he was hurrying the quarterback. I can’t find exact stats for the number of quarterback hurries he had, but I know he was an effective blitzer more often than not.

 

Athleticism

 

We all like football players, guys that just get it done on the field. But the truth is that a player needs to be a certain level of athlete in order to make it to the NFL. I’ve been doing my own deep dives in the depth of the numbers to try and identify valuable sleepers. I’ve got my own algorithm to measure a prospect’s athletic ability and estimate their future success in the NFL. It doesn’t take a very complicated algorithm to be impressed with Burney’s athleticism. It’s literally textbook NFL safety numbers. Six foot two, 205 pounds, 4.40 40 yard dash, a 10 foot broad jump, 37 inch vertical, and a 4.41 shuttle. Those numbers are right in line with the safeties at this year’s NFL Combine, and 2022 has a freakishly athletic safety class.

 

Jordan Burney Weaknesses

 

Small School

 

I get it, West Chester University isn’t on ESPN very often. Their opponents aren’t at the same level as the other safeties who have the same numbers as Burney. There’s not much I can say besides West Chester is a Division II school, so they mostly played Division II opponents. That’s why those testing numbers are so important. While Burney wasn’t playing NFL talent week in and week out, he showed he has the athletic ability to compete with the top tier college players.

 

Lack Of Interceptions

 

I would like to see more picks from Burney. I saw a lot of good coverage. Burney was in the correct position to stop a completion often. Despite this, he only had two interceptions in his career. He talked about recognizing routes and jumping them to deliver a hit. I’d like to see him jump those routes and try and make a pick.

 

Jordan Burney NFL Draft Stock

 

I’d be shocked if Burney was taken in the NFL Draft. Division II guys rarely get looked at in the draft, but they can get looked at as an UDFA. I think Burney has a real shot of being an UDFA and going into camp with an NFL team. 

 

Jordan Burney NFL Comparison

 

With his size and numbers you can pick out a lot of great safeties to compare Burney to. I want someone who brings the lumber too, so I’m going with Landon Collins.

 

Final Thoughts on Jordan Burney Scouting Report

 

Jordan Burney is a deep sleeper, very deep. Here’s what I would say to NFL GMs out there. Burney is a guy with NFL size, speed and athleticism. He also had a successful college football career and graduated from college while being homeless. If he can put himself through school and find time for football with no parental support, it’s worth a shot to bring him into camp and see what he can do.