2025 NFL Draft: Former Ohio State Cornerback Denzel Burke Selected No. 174 Overall By The Arizona Cardinals

Former Ohio State cornerback Denzel Burke was selected by the Arizona Cardinals with the No. 174 overall pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft held on Saturday. He is the 13th Buckeye selected in this year’s draft and the second to join the Cardinals, joining linebacker Cody Simon (No. 115, fourth round.)

Burke heads to the NFL after an eventful four-year career in scarlet and gray. Entering the program as a four-star prospect out of Scottsdale (Ariz.) Saguaro, he made an immediate impact and became a freshman All-American and third-team All-Big Ten selection after recording a team-high 12 pass breakups along with 37 tackles and an interception. 

Burke did not carry that success over to his sophomore season, totaling just five pass deflections, 34 tackles and zero interceptions in his first year under Jim Knowles’ scheme. But after going through what he called a much-needed maturation process and getting more comfortable in Knowles’ system, he had a career year as a junior, serving as a true lockdown cornerback on the nation’s No. 2 overall scoring defense and recording a tied-for-team-high eight pass breakups along with one interception, a forced fumble and 24 tackles. 

Those efforts earned him a first-team All-Big Ten nod from coaches and a second-team All-American selection by Walter Camp. 

Just like many of his class of 2021 counterparts, Burke decided to return to Ohio State for his senior season, most notably declaring that year a “natty or bust” season that spring. Burke’s return to the secondary was a highly anticipated one given his successes in his junior season, and — aside from a few blips, most notably his poor performance in Ohio State’s regular season loss to Oregon — he delivered, recording a pair of interceptions, two pass breakups and 48 tackles (three for loss) on the year while earning a third-team All-Big Ten honor.

He was less of a factor in coverage in Ohio State’s four-game College Football Playoff run but did make a strong impact near the line of scrimmage, recording seven tackles — six of them solo — as well as one tackle for loss.

Burke’s inconsistencies in pass coverage this season caused his draft stock to dip over the offseason — he was viewed as a first-round draft prospect heading into the 2024 campaign — but regardless, he still earns his chance to live out his dream in the NFL on a Cardinals secondary that ranked No. 14 in the league in passing yards allowed last season at 3,674. Burke will look to carve out a role in an Arizona cornerback room that also includes starter Max Melton and fellow rookie and former Michigan Wolverine Will Johnson.