Burns cleared hurdles along way
Artie Burns, center, a cornerback from Miami, poses for a photo with Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and team President Arthur J. Rooney II as he holds a jersey after a news conference where he was introduced as the first-round pick Friday in Pittsburgh.
Artie Burns
PITTSBURGH – The newest Steelers cornerback, Artie Burns, will celebrate his 21st birthday Sunday.
That’s fine with him. It could give him a fresh start after a year with more ups and downs than a daytime soap opera.
First, early in the 2015 season, Miami fired head coach Al Golden, who recruited Burns to play for the Hurricanes.
Then, Burns’ mother, Dana Smith, had a heart attack and died at the age of 44.
His whole world turned upside down.
With his father in prison serving a 25-year term for cocaine trafficking, Burns found himself not only in the role of a college student-athlete, but as primary caregiver for three younger brothers.
Burns planned to spend another year at Miami, but the death of his mother pushed the junior to declare for the draft.
“It’s a challenge,” Burns said Friday, a day after the Steelers selected him in the first round of the NFL Draft. “But it’s a chance for me to be there through their whole journey, to give them tips to make it to this level I am at right now, and to just build a better bond with them and be there for every moment of their lives.”
That can-do, mature attitude is something that drew the Steelers to Burns. It didn’t hurt he’s an outstanding athlete.
“Artie is a special kid,” said Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert. “His mother passed away in the middle of the season. He has a child (of his own). He is in a relationship with the mother of the child. It’s solid. He has three younger brothers who have fallen under his care after his mother’s passing. It will be a challenge for him, but I give the kid a lot of credit for doing what he’s doing.”
Not that the Steelers are in the charity business. They wouldn’t have selected Burns with the 25th pick in the first round Thursday night if they didn’t feel he can play.
Burns was the fourth cornerback and eighth defensive back selected in the draft. The Cincinnati Bengals surprised everyone by taking William Jackson of Houston a pick before the Steelers’ selection.
But Colbert had a premonition Burns would wind up being the Steelers’ guy.
“Artie Burns, I told the scouts (Wednesday), that’s going to be our guy,” said Colbert.
“That’s the way we thought things would fall, and they did.”
Burns (6-0, 197) offers plenty of potential, but might not be the sum of his parts yet.
A high school track star – Burns broke a 38-year national record in the 60 meter hurdles – he was considered one of the nation’s top cornerback recruits when he joined the Hurricanes out of storied Miami Northwestern High School, which regularly produces 10 to 15 NCAA Division I recruits per year.
He played mostly on special teams his first year for the Hurricanes before making 11 starts as a sophomore. He really blossomed last season – despite the turmoil around him – recording 36 tackles, five pass breakups and an ACC-best six interceptions.
His interception total was the most at Miami since former Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor had 10 in 2003.
“He has a lot of growth potential,” said Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. “We’re excited about his upside. He’s a master at bump (and run) corner. It appears to be something that is a natural element of his game. He’s good at the ball. He’s good with the ball down the field.
“He had elite speed. … We’re just excited about him in general.”
The Steelers add Burns to a secondary in dire need of more talent after ranking 30th in the NFL in pass defense. And that was before starter Antwon Blake and nickel corner Brandon Boykin signed elsewhere as free agents.
Burns will join William Gay, Ross Cockrell and last year’s second-round pick, Senquez Golson as the team’s top four cornerbacks.
The Steelers had not selected a cornerback in the first round of the draft since taking Chad Scott in 1997 and had not taken a defensive back in the opening round since trading up to acquire Troy Polamalu in 2003.
Burns offers the Steelers a boost in athleticism in their secondary. The Steelers offer him something else, rather than just an employer.
“When I walked into the airport, I saw the black and (gold) everywhere,” Burns said. “I was going crazy. The tradition they have, their great players, the family bond the team has, the city’s support: You go into any stadium, you will see the Terrible Towels flying. The swag of the players and coaching staff, it’s something I really wanted to be a part of.”