The Cardinals didn’t just double down on defense on the second night of the draft, they triple-downed, adding outside linebacker Jordan Burch to the unit with their third-round pick.
This comes after the Cardinals selected defensive tackle Walter Nolen III on Thursday and cornerback Will Johnson earlier in the second round.
Burch spent three season at South Carolina before he transferred to Oregon. As a two-year starter with the Ducks, Burch had 11.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. The numbers could have been higher if Burch did not miss four games in 2024 due to a meniscus injury and a rolled ankle.
“Sky is the limit,” Burch said. “I’m going to keep going. I feel like a lot people haven’t seen all I can do. I feel like at this next level I’m going to be able to show them.”
Burch’s production was good enough for the Cardinals to select him and put him in a room with Josh Sweat, Baron Browning, and Zaven Collins.
He’ll also reunite with his high school teammate, outside linebacker Xavier Thomas, whom the Cardinals selected in the fifth-round last year.
“They moved him to linebacker a little bit, and that left me with the one-on-one,” Burch said. “Things got ugly (for opposing offensive lines).”
A “30” visit with the Cardinals allowed Burch to develop a rapport with the Cardinals coaching staff, a group he described as “laid back and chill.”
“I like how young they are,” Burch said. “I feel like you can talk to them about anything. Any question I had, they explained it thoroughly. That’s probably the best thing you can ask for as a player.”
More to come on azcardinals.com
