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INDIANAPOLIS – Denzel Burke voiced what was on every Ohio State player’s mind last March.
When the senior cornerback declared during spring practice that it was “natty or bust” for the senior-dominated Buckeyes, it told the world that nothing less than a national title would suffice. Burke indeed got a chance to hoist the championship trophy when Ohio State had its historic four-game run to win the new 12-team College Football Playoff.
Cornerback Denzel Burke holds the record for starts by an Ohio State defensive player (51).
But OSU players also returned in 2024 to improve their stock for the NFL draft, something most did. Burke might not have, depending on how NFL teams view his struggles in the Buckeyes’ first game against Oregon. That was the worst game in Burke’s four years as a starter. He was repeatedly victimized in OSU’s 32-31 loss at Autzen Stadium.
It’s a topic NFL teams are sure to raise.
More: NFL scouting combine 2025 live updates: Highlights, results from Ohio State prospects
“That game was an anomaly,” Burke said Thursday at the NFL combine. “It just wasn’t my day. That wasn’t who I am, and I had to keep pushing.”
Cornerbacks need short memories, and Burke has that quality. He said he’d gotten over it by the start of the next week’s practice.
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Burke said he never was concerned about how that Oregon game might affect him in the draft. He is projected as a third-round pick.
“Draft stock is not a big thing to me,” he said. “I love the game so much. I just want to continue to keep playing ball at a very high level and have a 10- to 12-year football career.”
The October Oregon game was a blip in Burke’s season. In the rematch against the Ducks in the College Football Playoff quarterfinal rout at the…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/article/answering-natty-bust-challenge-ohio-211456757.html
Author : The Columbus Dispatch
Publish date : 2025-02-27 21:14:00
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