Steelers add CB Artie Burns with 1st-round pick

The Pittsburgh Steelers selected cornerback Artie Burns out of Miami 25th overall in the 2016 NFL Draft on Thursday.

Pittsburgh needed to address its secondary after the Steelers struggled to a No. 30 ranking against the pass last season, giving up more than 4,300 yards through the air.

Burns would seem to fit the bill: The cover man had a breakout season with the Hurricanes in 2015, collecting six interceptions. He also gives the Steelers some youth in the secondary to counteract William Gay and Mike Mitchell.

Artie Burns Bio

Position: CB
School: Miami
College Experience: Junior
Height: 6-0
Weight: 190 lbs

Strengths

• Burns possesses world-class straight-line speed and excelled as a sprinter during his collegiate career.
• If Burns records an interception, he's a threat to return it for a touchdown every time.
• Displays good ball skills, recorded six interceptions in 2015.
• Extends his arms well to break up passes.
• Does a good job of jamming wide receivers at the line of scrimmage.

Weaknesses

• Needs to work on tackling ability, struggles to bring down ball-carriers in open field without support.
• Burns' entire game is predicated on speed, and he'll often wait until it's too late to accelerate into top gear.
• Susceptible to double moves and doesn't rotate hips well in coverage.

Combine Results