Countdown to Camp: Artie Burns

Countdown to Camp is a series aimed at preparing fans for the Pittsburgh Steelers upcoming training camp by focusing on players who were on the 2016 roster. Each profile will include basic statistics and a hand selected highlight from last year.

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The story of Artie Burns could have been a made-for-movie project –  a kid who helped raise brothers after a single mother passed during his time at the University of Miami; reuniting with a father who was incarcerated for most of his life. Burns showed a level of maturity few rookies entering a professional sport do.

His NFL Scouting Combine numbers were ‘okay’ due to a knee injury but the drills he put together at Miami’s Pro Day were enough to impress scouts and team representatives (31 of 32 teams in attendance) and earn him a first- or second-round pick nod at the cornerback position. The Steelers pulled the trigger as their number one selection in the draft (25th overall).

Beginning the 2016 season behind William Gay and Ross Cockrell, Burns quickly went from pro debut against the Washington Redskins to starting nickel back in the sixth game of the season. He earned his first start on November 6, snagging an intercepted pass from Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens.

Burns would remain the starting corner over Gay for the entirety of the season, starting the last seven games as the outside cornerback opposite Cockrell while Gay moved inside to cover the slot.

With a solid year under his belt, Burns is expected to enter training camp as the favorite to retain that starting outside corner position. Steelers fans were excited to see the energy and improvement he brought to the defensive backfield and look for more in 2017.

Career Stats

Burns Highlight

2016 first round pick Artie Burns looks to make an impact this upcoming season #Steelers #CountdownToCamp pic.twitter.com/YiJZ8bGsct

— 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗲𝗹 𝗖𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗨𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 (@steelcityundrgr) July 24, 2017