Morgan Burnett Scouting Report

It did not take much time for Morgan Burnett to make an impact on Georgia Tech's defense. As a true freshman in 2007, Burnett played in all 13 games and earned his first career start late in the season. Despite the limited playing time, Burnett led the team with three interceptions and ranked fifth in tackles with 57. That success, especially late in the campaign, led to high expectations in 2008; Burnett did not disappoint. The 6-1 free safety led the Yellow Jackets with 93 tackles, seven interceptions, eight pass breakups and 15 passes defended -- not bad at all for a sophomore. He was recognized by many media outlets for his impressive season. Burnett plays the rover position at Georgia Tech, but he has the versatility to play either safety spot in the NFL. In most systems he would be a strong safety, but heading into the 2009 season he was considered second only to Eric Berry among safeties according to many pundits. However, the 2009 campaign has not been that great for Burnett. His tackle numbers are way down, averaging just under five per contest through nine games. But Burnett is still a ball hawk and has picked off four passes already during his junior season. Now the question is how much will that affect his draft status and whether or not it would be wise to return for his senior season. 1/17 Update: Burnett has joined many other juniors at Georgia Tech who have opted to enter the NFL a year early. Burnett did step up his game later in the 2009 season and ended up second on the team with 85 tackles, including four for a loss. Burnett is still considered a second or third rounder right now, but he has the potential to boost his stock quite a bit with some impressive workouts heading into the draft.