Offseason rankings, whether in listicle form or during a television segment, typically garner the most attention when someone is rated far too low or snubbed entirely.
We don’t expect Brian Burns or the New York Giants to take much issue with CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco, though.
Prisco recently unveiled his top 100 players, and Burns earned the No. 56 ranking. Malik Nabers also cracked the list at No. 99 despite missing most of last year with a knee injury. But, more interestingly, Prisco considers Burns the NFL’s second-best linebacker, behind only the 49ers’ Fred Warner, who placed No. 16.
Burns received second-team All-Pro honors after recording an NFC-leading 16 ½ sacks. He also finished with 22 tackles for loss, seven pass breakups, and three forced fumbles.
“Burns is an explosive, twitchy edge player who can wreck a game,” Prisco wrote.
Burns, who is entering his third year with the Giants, did not appear on Prisco’s 2025 rankings.
Giants fans should love how high CBS Sports is on Brian Burns
Respectfully, these kinds of rankings are usually good for nothing more than attention and reactions. With that said, it’s sometimes better to get far more love than no love at all.
Whether or not you believe Burns is a top-3 linebacker depends on what you consider a linebacker, and that’s not intended to be funny.
Most fans would consider Burns and Rams superstar Myles Garrett to both be EDGE rushers, though Prisco listed the latter as a defensive end. Garrett earned the No. 1 spot after an NFL-record 23 sacks with the Browns.
To be clear, EDGE rushers and defensive ends are not interchangeable, nor are EDGE rushers and linebackers. So while we don’t disagree with Prisco that Burns deserves to be a top-100 player, it’s nonetheless interesting to compare the two.
Warner and Burns are also markedly different players, with the former being an All-Pro middle linebacker. Warner’s specialty is racking up tackles, forcing fumbles, and snagging the occasional interception. The Giants need Burns to pressure the quarterback and create havoc in the backfield.
This isn’t as simple as including slot receivers and deep threats on the same receiver ranking list. Both play the same general position, just with different roles and archetypes.
However, the difference between middle linebackers and EDGE rushers is so significant that they are essentially two different positions.
Regardless, at least one prominent NFL analyst believes Burns is the NFL’s second-best linebacker, and I don’t imagine anyone in or outside the Giants’ building will disagree.
Add us as a preferred source on Google