Brian Burns

New York Giants

Pos EDGE

Updated October 8, 2026

Compare Brian Burns EDGE rankings →

Model Score

96.0 MODEL

2020

89.8

2021

84.5

2022

89.8

2023

80.5

2024

87.2

2025

96.0

2026

96.0

How good he is at what he is supposed to be doing, out of 100. Not a projection of what he will do next, and not a read on his contract. Median is about 70, and a 95 is rare. How it is built →

STM Take

Tier 1 (#2) STTM finish in his second Giants season plus the 2022 Pro Bowl establishes Burns as the structural anchor of the New York pass rush. The career arc has stabilized into a consistent tier 1-2 ceiling with the 2025 finish being his highest. The 2026 question is whether Burns earns his second Pro Bowl plus 1st-team All-Pro recognition that the STTM #2 ranking implies he deserves.

Burns came out of Florida State as the Carolina Panthers' 1st-round pick (16th overall) in 2019 and made the 2022 Pro Bowl as a Panthers edge rusher. He was traded to the New York Giants in 2024 for a 2nd and 5th-round pick plus a 2025 5th. His STTM career runs tier 2 (#14) in 2021, tier 2 (#16) in 2022, tier 4 (#31) in 2023, tier 2 (#15) in 2024 first Giants year, and tier 1 (#2) breakout in 2025.

Strengths

Tier 1 (#2) STTM finish in 2025 establishes a top-3 edge defender ceiling that the broader Pro Bowl voting has not yet fully recognized.
Seven years of NFL starter reps across two systems plus the 2022 Pro Bowl gives him real veteran market résumé.

Concerns

Single tier 1 finish without prior top-10 STTM history raises the question of whether 2025 was structural or a one-year context spike.
Giants' broader defensive identity instability puts continued Burns dominance dependent on factors outside his control.

What to watch: Whether Burns earns his second Pro Bowl in 2026 plus holds tier 1 or better, the threshold for confirming the 2025 STTM #2 finish was structural.

Comps

Overall match

size, testing and production, same career stage

T.J. Watt72%Jason Gildon62%Brian Orakpo62%

Plays like

on-field production only

Tuli Tuipulotu75%T.J. Watt72%Dante Fowler71%

Built like

measurables only

Justin Hollins84%Josh Sweat81%Aaron Maybin79%

Brian Burns Injury StatusIR

Brian Burns is listed on injured reserve (Knee - ACL), reported Sep 29, with a return date of Feb 15. Source: the official NFL injury report, refreshed daily.