Brian Burns (born April 23, 1998) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...

for the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

and was drafted by the Panthers in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

Early years

Burns attended American Heritage School, where he played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

. Over his junior and senior seasons, he had 135 tackles and 28 sacks combined and helped his team win state titles. Burns played in the 2016 U.S. Army All-American Bowl. He committed to Florida State University to play college football.

College career

As a freshman at Florida State in 2016, Burns played in all 13 games and led all freshman in the country with 8.5 sacks. As a sophomore in 2017, he started all 13 games and had 48 tackles and 4.5 sacks. As a junior in 2018, Burns started all 12 games, recording 52 tackles and 10 sacks. After the season, Burns decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL Draft.

College statistics

Professional career

Burns was drafted by the

16th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft.

2019

In Week 5 against the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

, Burns recorded a sack and returned a forced fumble for a touchdown in the 34-27 win.

2020

In Week 3 against the

Los Angeles Chargers The Los Angeles Chargers are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Chargers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) West division, and ...

, Burns recorded his first sack of the season, a strip sack that was recovered by the Panthers, during the 21–16 win. In Week 7 against the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, Burns recorded a strip sack that was recovered by the Panthers during the 27–24 loss. In Week 11 against the Detroit Lions, Burns recorded two sacks during a shutout win and was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

2022

The Panthers picked up the fifth-year option on Burns' contract on April 26, 2022. In Week 12 against the

Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquar ...

, Burns had two sacks, a forced fumble and one pass deflection, earning him NFC Defensive Player of The Week.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Personal life

Burns' older brother,

Stanley McClover Stanley McClover (born December 16, 1984) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft. He played college football at Auburn. Early years Stanley McClover was a ...

, was drafted by the

in the seventh round of the

2006 NFL Draft The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City, New York, at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with add ...

. His nickname is Spidey. It is the same nickname as his favorite

Marvel Marvel may refer to: Business * Marvel Entertainment, an American entertainment company ** Marvel Comics, the primary imprint of Marvel Entertainment ** Marvel Universe, a fictional shared universe ** Marvel Music, an imprint of Marvel Comics * ...

character Spider-Man. He also named his sack celebration after the nickname. On December 27, 2021, Burns was placed on the Panthers

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was identified in Wuhan, China, in December 2019. The disease quickly ...

reserve list along with three other players.

References

External links

Sports Reference (college)Florida State Seminoles bio
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Burns, Brian Living people 1998 births Players of American football from Fort Lauderdale, Florida American football defensive ends American football linebackers Florida State Seminoles football players Carolina Panthers players National Conference Pro Bowl players American Heritage School (Florida) alumni Ed Block Courage Award recipients