Usually third-round picks aren’t expected to step in and start right away in their first NFL season.

For Green Bay Packers linebacker Oren Burks, the third-round pick out of Vanderbilt, opportunity came early. With Jake Ryan lost for the season with an ACL tear, it’s now up to Burks to show to the Packers just why they traded up for him.

“It’s (foot)ball at the end of the day,” Burks said following Thursday’s preseason debut. “You realize that pretty quick after the first drive. You get first contact and get hit a little bit and you’re just like ‘alright, this is the same game I’ve been playing for a while.”

Burks played a team-high 41 defensive snaps on Thursday against the Titans, and in those snaps, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, Burks looked like a guy “playing his first game.”

“(He) did some really good things but had some blocks he needs to get off of quicker,” McCarthy said. “It’s that first game. I thought our young guys got out there and competed.”

McCarthy didn’t provide many specifics, but said the defense, from a team standpoint, had a “relatively good start.”

So how did Burks contribute to that? And what does McCarthy mean when he says he needs to get off his blocks?

Let’s start with the good.

Closing speed

Something that has been evident on this Packers’ defense in the past few seasons has been the lack of speed in the middle of the field. Ryan could navigate through the muck in the run game well, but he struggled out on the boundary and in the passing game.

Blake Martinez has improved substantially from his first to his second season, but he still struggled in coverage.

Burks, on the other hand, might just offer a style of play the Packers have struggled to find in the past few years: sideline-to-sideline speed. In the above clip, Burks tracks the running back out of the backfield, adjusts his pursuit angle at the point of the catch, and tackles the back short of the first down on 3rd-and-6.

Burks ran a 4.59 at the NFL combine, but that looks like a fast 4.59 (By comparison, AJ Hawk ran anywhere between a 4.47 and 4.65). Burks gets to places in a hurry, which helps shrink the field, eliminate yards-after-contact, and minimize throwing lanes.

Trouble getting off blocks

As McCarthy mentioned, Burks had a nice first game but – and this was something evident in his college tape – he struggled to work off of blocks when the offensive linemen got their hands on him.

On this play (above), the right guard released to the second level and presses Burks enough that he almost loses his footing. Reggie Gilbert struggled to contain the runner and Burks couldn’t get his off his block.

As a former safety, Burks doesn’t have all that much experience dealing with bigger blockers, so it might take some time before he compiles a few reliable techniques to create space and/or shed the block.

In the above example, Burks steps up but loses his feet upon contact. The running back is forced back inside by Davon House for a modest gain. It’ll be important for Burks to learn how to leverage his weight a little better, maintain his feet and force Derrick Henry to bounce the run outside.

Burks again gets tied up by a lineman at the second level in this example. The yardage gain is modest, but these are the plays McCarthy is likely referring to when he says he needs to get off his blocks better. Burks engages, but he has to find a way to disengage, too.

Sideline-to-sideline playmaker

It’s not like the Packers didn’t know Burks might struggle shedding blocks when they drafted him. Burks played safety in college and only recently converted to linebacker full time during his final year at Vanderbilt.

Similar to Deion Jones in Atlanta or Deone Bucannon in Arizona, Burks is yet another in a line of new-age high-speed coverage linebackers whose speed and pass coverage ability is prioritized over run defense.

Mike Pettine said during his introductory press conference that while he recognizes the importance to stop the run, he prefers to stop the pass first, a skill for which Burks is built.

The Packers’ roster composition sets up really well to play light in the middle. When healthy, the Packers will rotate one of the deepest and most-talented defensive lines in football. Provided Mike Daniels, Kenny Clark, Mo Wilkerson, Dean Lowry and Montravius Adams eat up double teams up front, Burks shouldn’t be asked to shed as many blocks as the typical middle linebacker.

But that doesn’t mean Burks can’t play the run. Despite his struggles, there were a few plays from Thursday’s matchup that prove he can be a difference maker in a way Jake Ryan wasn’t.

On this play, Vince Biegel knifes inside, perhaps against the wishes of his coaches, and loses outside contain. Burks avoids a cut block from the left guard and works downhill, under control as he maintains leverage between himself, the running back and the sideline.

As Pettine said, Burks “proved” a few things on tape; He just needs to learn how to do it consistently.

Here’s another nice play from Burks.

This is actually poorly executed by the Titans. Two linemen release upfield and look for work but come up empty-handed. Nonetheless, an opportunity to make a play is there and Burks comes up with it. Once the running back catches the ball, Burks breaks downhill to make the tackle.

Overall, Burks put out some nice film to build upon in the coming weeks. One facet of his game that emerged Thursday is that while he is fast, he plays under control. In one-on-one situations, he slows his feet, gathers, and contacts the ball carrier. The tackle might not be a slobberknocker, but it gets the job done.

If Burks can simply find consistency this year and mitigate major mental errors, he has the opportunity to substantially help this defense, especially one that struggled getting off the field on third downs.

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