2025 NFL Draft prospect profile – Jordan Burch, EDGE, Oregon

Is Burch an option to reinforce the Giants’ defensive front?

Do the New York Giants need to add another edge defender?

They reinforced their defensive front in free agency, adding depth to the interior and edges of their defense. While the Giants lost an athletic pass rusher in Azeez Ojulari, they added Chauncey Golston as a big, physical edge defender.

The Giants could look to add another speed rusher to replace what they lost in Ojulari. But what if they want to lean into a bigger, more powerful front?

Oregon’s Jordan Burch is cut from a similar cloth as Golston as a big, powerful defender who should be able to contribute immediately as a run defender. He could also offer some upside as an interior rusher on passing downs.

Could Burch’s redundancy with Golston appeal to the Giants?

Prospect: Jordan Burch (1)
Games Watched: vs. Colorado (2023), vs. Boise State (2024), vs. Penn State (2024), vs. Ohio State (2024)

Measurables

Kent Lee Platte | RAS.football

Strengths

Best traits

• Competitive toughness
• Play strength
• Burst
• Versatility

Jordan Burch is a big, powerful edge defender who has surprising athleticism and versatility.

While Burch is built like a classic 4-3 defensive end at 6-foot-4, 279 pounds, he is both experienced and capable as a rush linebacker out of a 2-point stance. Burch is fast and explosive for a 279-pound player, and features a good get-off from both his 2 and 3-point stances. He typically times the snap well and does a good job of gaining ground with his initial steps.

Burch is primarily a power rusher and typically uses a long-arm move as a pass rusher, maximizing his length and initial burst off the ball to keep blockers from accessing his chest plate. He’s also effective as a straight bull rusher and converting speed to power in order to get blockers on their heels. His size and strength also make him an effective run defender, and he’s able to overpower tight ends, overcome chip blocks, and set a firm edge against offensive tackles. Likewise, Burch’s traits allow him to play inside as an athletic mismatch in “Four Aces” sets on passing downs.

He also has solid competitive toughness and a high football IQ. Burch quickly diagnoses run and pass, and is seldom fooled by misdirection. He does a good job of keeping blockers at arm’s length, disengages quickly, and offers great effort in pursuit.

Likewise, he has an instinctive feel for getting his hands up to swat the ball down or muddying passing lanes if he can’t get to the passer.

Weaknesses

Worst traits

• Bend
• Agility
• Speed counters

Burch has surprisingly good speed and acceleration for a player of his size, but he lacks great flexibility and fluidity in his lower half.

Burch has some notable stiffness in his ankles and hips which limits him in a couple ways. Most notably, while he’s a good athlete with good acceleration off the ball, he’s a very linear athlete. His stiffness keeps him from carrying speed around the edge or maintaining good leverage when he has to turn a tight corner.

That, in turn, limits Burch’s ability to use speed as a counter for his power rusher. His pass rushes tend to stall out when blockers are ready for his long-arm or bull rush. But while speed rushing isn’t really in Burch’s wheelhouse, he could still stand to polish his finesse counters to more efficiently attack blockers’ hands.

It also shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that Burch is limited as a space player. While he’s able to drop into shallow coverage and has solid awareness once there, he lacks the athletic traits to really match up in coverage with offensive skill position players.

Game Tape

(Burch is the Oregon edge defender wearing number 1 and a sleeve on his right arm.)

Projection

Jordan Burch projects as a rotational edge defender with alignment and scheme diversity at the NFL level.

Burch will likely always be limited as a pass rusher due to his lower body stiffness. He’s able to win quickly against college tackles thanks to his burst and power. However, he could struggle to be a consistent threat off the edge against the size and skill at the NFL level.

But while that could knock him down draft boards a bit, Burch should still have plenty of value to most defenses. He should be a quality run defender who can still offer upside as a pass rusher, as well as the versatility to rush as a defensive tackle.

Burch might not be a starter at the next level, but he should be able to find a role as the first edge defender off the bench for most defenses in the NFL.

Does he fit the Giants?
Possibly, depending on where they want to take the scheme

Final Word: A late Day 2 or Early Day 3 value