[Elvis]

7. TERRELL BURGESS | Utah 5113 | 202 lbs. | SR. San Marcos, Calif. (San Marcos) 11/12/1998 (age 21.45) #26

BACKGROUND: Terrell (tur-ELL) Burgess was a standout football and track performer at San Marcos, posting personal bests in the 100 meters (11.14) and 200 meters (22.31). He was a three-year starter at defensive back and return man, finishing his prep career with 90 tackles, eight interceptions and 33.6 yards per kickoff return. Burgess added wide receiver to his duties as a senior and rarely came off the field, averaging over 100 plays per game. He posted 61 catches for 1,162 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2015, earning first team honors in his section.

A three-star cornerback recruit, Burgess was rated as the No. 97 recruit in California and the No. 91 cornerback in the country, although some programs also recruited him at receiver. He considered offers from Arizona, California and nearby San Diego State before committing to Utah. He preferred to play defense in college, but the Utes played him both ways as a freshman in 2016. His older brother (Isiah Hennie) was a wide receiver at FCS-level Sacramento State (2014-17), earning All-Big Sky honors as a junior and senior. Burgess graduated with his degree in kinesiology (December 2019). He accepted his invitation to the 2020 Senior Bowl.

YEAR (GP/GS) TKLS TFL SACK FF PD INT NOTES
2016: (4/0) 1 0.0 0.0 0 1 0 Enrolled at only 17 years old; Played both ways, posting one catch for seven yards on offense
2017: (13/1) 18 1.0 0.0 0 0 0 First team Pac-12 All-Academic
2018: (14/2) 16 0.5 0.0 0 3 0 Second team Pac-12 All-Academic
2019: (14/14) 81 7.5 0.5 0 6 1 Honorable Mention All-Pac 12
Total: (45/17) 116 9.0 0.5 0 10 1
HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP
COMBINE 5113 202 29 1/2 09 1/4 71 3/8 4.46 2.60 1.58 33 1/2 10’02” - - 20 (no shuttle or 3-cone – left hamstring)
PRO DAY N/A (Pro Day canceled)

STRENGTHS: Nose for the football…plays with widescreen vision and a quick trigger…excellent space athlete, staying composed and fluid in his movements…runs routes as well as receivers…natural ball radar to locate and disrupt the catch point…heady cover man with an understanding of route concepts, picking up on tells by the offense…quickly comes to balance as an open-field tackler, exploding through ball carriers and taking them off their feet…attentive learner and his coaches rave about his development, preparation and football character (Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham: “He’s got an extremely high football IQ…and his hand is always up volunteering and that has rubbed off on the other guys”)…”big-hearted kid” according to his coaches and active in the community, doing a lot of work with special needs kids…versatile experience across the secondary and on special teams coverages.

WEAKNESSES: Not a sudden athlete, lacking explosive drive quickness or secondary burst in coverage…good, but not great, speed and doesn’t show the extra gear to close the gap once he loses a step vs. speedy receivers…bites hard on pump fakes and misdirection…lack of experience will show with his coverage angles…very average body type and build…appears overmatched vs. “big” slot receivers and tight ends...play strength was good enough in the Pac-12, but could lead to finishing issues in the NFL…only one season of full-time starting experience with unremarkable production.

SUMMARY: A one-year starter at Utah, Terrell Burgess shifted from nickel back to starting safety as a senior in defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley’s 4-2-5 base scheme. After primarily playing special teams his first three years, he volunteered the move to safety due to injuries at the position and created buzz in NFL scouting circles as a first-year starter in 2019 (Scalley: “I started quizzing him on safety responsibilities and I was like ‘holy crap, you can do this’”). Burgess naturally gravitates toward the football and shows the range to play man coverage in the slot or diagnose from depth as a traditional deep safety, understanding the relationship between multiple targets. He lacks ideal size, strength and suddenness, but he is a terrific space athlete and usually sound tackler, calming his feet to square up his target. Overall, Burgess put his name on the NFL radar with his breakout senior season and displays the range and mental alertness reminiscent of a not as sudden version of Darnell Savage (Green Bay Packers), projecting as a potential starter at nickel or safety in the NFL.

GRADE: 3rd Round

[PARAM]

S / CB. They were saying he could step right in and start at nickel. Tackles great. Quick. They needed a S/nickel......versatility. Robey who? I like this draft so far. RB, WR, Edge, S. Next up, OL or ILB?

[Ramifornia510]

I think this is the best pick of the night. Gonna be nice to have 2 solid open field tacklers. Burgess and Rapp.

[PARAM]

Played both ways, posting one catch for seven yards on offense

A new receiver for Hekker?

[actionjack]

I hate drafting a safety this early, but I think the Rams will play 3 safeties often. They have no LB that can cover the TE's in the NFC West in particular. I see Kiser in the middle with a safety droping down to cover.

[actionjack]

I like that people are saying he can step up and play right away.
I'm guessing that the Rams are reeeeeeeeaaaaallllyyyy comfortable with Micah Kiser...

Kiser can tackle but not cover. They are comfortable him being in the box, the safety will cover the TE

[Elvis]

[AvengerRam]

Versatility.

I like it.

[actionjack]

I think they're counting on him to be on the field for three downs.
I think Howard will get a ton of PT.

We disagree on this, will see in the season. I think this is why the Rams went safety early again. He is another Taylor Rapp. If we are using Kiser to cover TE, we will lose that matchup everytime.

[AvengerRam]

This could also prove to be an important pick if we are ultimately unable to afford to retain JJ.