Previously: Last year’s profiles. P Tommy Doman Jr. S Rod Moore.

Fort Lauderdale, FL – 5’10", 165
[Gaby Urrutia/247Sports]		24/7:          3.78*	3*, 88, #489 overall #39 CB, #64 FL
		Rivals:          3.78*	3*, 5.7, NR overall #37 CB, #68 FL
		ESPN:          3.46*	3*, 76, #421 Southeast #82 CB, #142 FL
		Composite:          3.73*	3*, .8734, #554 overall #43 CB, #78 FL
		Other Suitors	Miami (YTM), UMD. “Offers” from OSU/Bama/UGA/LSU/PSU
		YMRMFSPA	Lavert Hill but with Bat-Fight words
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post from me.
Notes	Teammate of Jaydon Hood. Pronounced Jay-den.
Film
Senior Year:

Michigan recruited a cornerback in this class. He is but one cornerback, a smallish cornerback, and a fall-arrival cornerback who is not expected to pick up all the intricacy’s of Michigan’s new defense in time to start immediately. None of those are his fault. Nor was the spectacular breakdown at cornerback last year at Michigan. Nor yet the pandemic that made it impossible for McBurrows and his family to officially visit the school he committed to over a year ago.

I’ll share via one good source that the Big Ten’s and Michigan’s approaches to Covid likely helped here. Since Hood/McBurrows still hadn’t visited, several schools in the South reached out to say “Hey, we’re playing and they’re not!” and this did not have the intended effect. He probably still ends up at Michigan if they hadn’t done that, but it appears the SEC’s and ACC’s “we care about football more than your son’s safety” message was heard loud and clear. Now sing it from the mountains, because we’ve got a cornerback.

And I also hear he’s fast.

[After THE JUMP: KPOW, BLAMMO]

The first thing they say is he’s feisty. While everyone asks first about the athleticism, the first two things any scout will say is McBurrows is small. 24/7 scout Andrew Ivins on when they were moving up his ranking from a 77 to a 78:

McBurrows was impressive in Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas' season-opening 25-13 win over Miami Gardens TRU Prep Academy as he picked off two passes and made a big hit in coverage. He doesn't have the ideal measurables as he's listed at 5-foot-10, 165-pounds, but he's fluid in coverage and not afraid to throw his body around. We bumped McBurrow's grade from an 86 up to an 87 on Wednesday, but it wouldn't be all that surprising if he keeps rising in the full 2021 update as were going to have a chance to compare him to some of his classmates over the next few weeks. The other thing we like about McBurrows is his verified speed as he went 11.01 in the 100-meter dash as a sophomore.

Ivins on McBurrows’s 24/7 profile page:

Not the biggest defender. Plays much bigger, however, than his size and frame suggests with a brash, competitive attitude. Intelligent defender that will sniff out screens and quick throws. Understands how to use leverage to his advantage.

You don’t say “brash” about a guy who’s 6’4” is what I’m saying. Rivals Chad Simmons is just saying:

He’s an average-sized DB, good at reading his keys, good feet. I think a little more athletic than people think. Plays bigger than what he is as well.

They also have him a crucial 10 pounds heavier—175. But even when they’re crediting his size they’re knocking it a bit. Here’s an opposing coach, Mandarin’s Bobby Ramsay, after getting Aquinas’d:

“His on-the-line presence was one of the best I saw all year,” Ramsay exclaimed. “He’s listed at 5-10, but I think he's taller than that. “McBurrows has long arms and definitely looks bigger than 5-10. St. Thomas Aquinas played a lot of cover one and a lot of press defense, so he was very good in that system. “His biggest strength is definitely the press technique he possesses. We never put him in a position where he had to play against the run much, so he was pressing at the line of scrimmage all the time.

“He looked like a very big kid to me, and looked every bit as tall as the 6-1 corner who also went up against us and played close to our sideline. Everyone wants long corners who are physical and can defend the slot and the back shoulder fades, and I think McBurrows will be able to do that just fine.

I have news about that “6-1” corner they went up against. For what it’s worth, McBurrows drew Jaylen Smith, who’s now a freshman at Bowling Green, for that game. He did not draw Roman Wilson when St. Louis (Hawai’i) went up against Aquinas early in 2019. I rewatched that game, in which McBurrows gave up a contested fade to a 6’5” guy but picked off the attempt to go under him.

The second thing they say is SPLATT! CRRAACK! ZAMMM! AWK! Ivins continues:

Physical striker with above average toughness that can support against the run.

 

Simmons noticed the KRAKOOM:

McBurrows flashed confidence good short-space quickness and physicality.

Sam Webb saw the same thing when reviewing the Heritage game:

…this kid brings the pain as a tackler. He drives on the football extremely well in zone or off coverage. He laid the two of the biggest hits of the game, including a devastating blow delivered to Inniss to punctuate the night.

Aquinas HC Roger Harriott has given a Fred Jacksoninism in his day, but this one he gave Rivals’ EJ Holland has to be unparalleled:

“Ja’Den reminds me of Rod Woodson from a physical standpoint with Deion Sanders type speed and instincts.”

YEEEOUCH. Miami 24/7 writer Gaby Urrutia saw McBurrows in the state semifinals when the Canes were making their last-ditch effort:

I think McBurrows is a really solid player. He’s not the biggest, but he packs a big punch and just has an aggressive nature about him that sort of makes you forget that he’s about 5-foot-10. McBurrows did a great job locking down Maryland tight end commit Weston Wolff, who stands at 6-foot-4, 210-pounds.

Speed? Hips? Coverage? Speed hips? Why yes, boring peons, if all you care about is “will he keep us safe from MSU freshmen” I think he can handle it. Ivins:

Excellent click-and-close drive quickness. Doesn’t lack footspeed, either. Always looking to make plays when the ball is in the air and will fight through hands of receivers.

Rivals' EJ Holland at least led with the thing we crave:

While he's not tall or super long, he brings great speed and should excel as a pure cover corner… McBurrows is still a bit raw as well, so he brings a lot of upside….

Yessss. Yessss. Now tell me he’s just as cat quick as any four-star who grew up on Outer Drive, prefers Geneva’s to Telway because they use better onions, and tuned Corvettes in his dad’s shop in Harper Woods:

McBurrows is just as good as [Cass Tech’s Kalen King]. While not the tactician that King is, McBurrows brings more speed and upside.

Close enough. For what it’s worth, King enrolled early at PSU and seems poised to play this year. McBurrows has probably never seen Detroit, but Sam Webb also wasn’t holding back on the comparison to Michigan’s various cats:

Watching McBurrows square of with 247Sports’ no. 1 WR in 2023 Brandon Inniss showed that the future Wolverine has the speed to run with most wideouts, the quickness to stay with them out of breaks, and really loose hips. He is very much in the mold athletically of former Michigan corners Jourdan Lewis, David Long, and LaVert Hill (preinjury).

That bit was under the subhead “Instant impact defense” so at least Sam thinks McBurrows can play (or the current CBs cannot).

The speed doesn’t always show on tape, something Touch the Banner harped on. I found it weird for a guy who supposedly plays a lot of m2m that a lot of the highlights of McBurrows are him playing off coverage and driving. The only time I saw him shook was on apost by Inniss.

On the other other hand, McBurrows first popped onto recruiting radars when he won a state title in the 4x100 as a freshman, running with eventual blue chips Pat Surtain II, Tyson Campbell, and Anthony Schwartz. Ivins said McBurrows put up an 11.01 on his own in the 100m shortly before they bumped him up a three-star level.

They also think he’s heady. Urrutia included McBurrows with Wisconsin commit Ricardo Hallman and Vandy commit Tyson Russell among corners he might prefer($) to IMG four-star Markevious Brown, citing sharp instincks and coverage skills:

The Michigan commit I did come away impressed with was three-star cornerback Ja'Den McBurrows. I thought he showed some pretty sharp instincts and coverage skills. He picked off two passes and one should have gone for a touchdown, but a penalty away from the ball wiped the score off the board.

Aquinas HC Roger Harriott told Sam Webb that Michigan’s getting an on-/off-field star:

“Ja’Den is an extremely talented player and an even better person. From a football standpoint, he’s a student of the game with elite football acumen, and great instincts between the whistle. On defense he can shut down an entire side of the field and is also a dynamic returner on special teams. As a person he is a brother to his teammates and leads by example. The strengths he possesses as a player are love for his team, passion for the game, intelligence, size, athleticism, physicality, and speed.”

Yes, you just saw “size” listed as a positive. Harriott has given a few quotes over the years. Harriott also called McBurrows “a versatile, instinctive player with the ability to play anywhere in the defensive backfield.”

Waitaminute…is this a cornerback or a nickel? Um, it sounds a lot like a nickel, doesn’t it. Ivins:

Might lack the desired height for the position, but should be able to make an impact at the Power 5 level and could carve out role early on in nickel packages.

Ivins saw McBurrows against TRU Prep the same time Plantation lost to Trinity, and said McBurrows had a better night than former CB mate Earl Little Jr. but again…

McBurrows has the looks of the ideal slot cornerback that can help make plays in the box.

Touch the Banner went further, comping McBurrows to a corner who ended up starting a couple of years as a tiny hybrid linebacker for Rutgers:

If I had to come up with a more appropriate player comparison, I would pair McBurrows up with Ross [Taylor-]Douglas. While I like McBurrows a little better (I gave Douglas a TTB Rating of 63), Douglas was a kid who bounced around at Michigan, going from corner to running back and eventually ending up at Rutgers as a hybrid outside linebacker/safety.

Under the radar? Sam’s 24/7 compatriot Steve Lorenz said McBurrows “is the type of prospect who may have seen his recruitment really take off this summer if schools had been allowed to hold camps.”

Many of the nation's top programs were waiting to get a look at the Fort Lauderdale native before he committed to the Wolverines. Could really end up as a coup for the staff as a very athletic and dynamic playmaker in the defensive backfield.

But it’s not like Aquinas was hidden—it is one of the most consistent producers of top NCAA talent every year, and before that he was at American Heritage School (Nick Eubanks, Mike Morris), another football factory. McBurrows was also impressing at camps since he was in 8th grade, and was part of the 2019 circuit when most of his class got graded, and appeared in a various lists of best locals curated by indies who cover Miami recruiting.

Harriott explains that Ja’den wasn’t seeing the field much before 2019:

“Ja’Den didn’t play significant time prior to the 2019 season … As a result, he didn’t receive much attention or recognition. Last season was his debut as a starter, and he performed exceptionally well. He exceeded expectations on defense and special teams as a returner.”

American Heritage had Schabert plus two 2022s, top-100 Earl Little Jr. (son of the Michigan alum), and top-250 WVU commit Jacolby Spells when McBurrows left. McBurrows started for Aquinas in 2019, and the offers started flying in when that tape went around in late January 2020. Alabama, LSU, Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and finally Penn State all sent out what had to be exploratory “offers”—the “Are you interested? If so come up and let us measure you” kind.

McBurrows was all set to visit Ohio State when Covid hit, which gave agent (friend/fellow Aquinas alum) Anthony Solomon and time to work on the conversion. He committed to Michigan in April, citing Don Brown. Michigan by that point had McBurrows at or near the top of their board. For the longest time he was considered a soft commit only because he and his teammate Hood hadn’t come up to visit. This led to various schools poking around and ensuing headlines impossible commitment percentages until Ja’Den joined the group who visited for the Wisconsin game. There was a big final push from Miami, which was probably the closest anyone came to prying him loose.

The short senior season did not bring another round of OSU/Bama/LSU interest. There are only three games (one with two plays) from his senior year.

Very good stats for a cornerback. Aquinas usually puts together a national schedule, but they played an abridged six-game season during Covid so there wasn’t a lot of opportunity to scout McBurrows. He was a havoc machine—11 INTs (or 9—reports vary) and 21 PBUs in against 50 downfield tackles in 18 games as a junior and senior—in zone coverage. He wasn’t thrown at much for the latter half of that, but he blocked four punts. He was named all-Florida for the 7A champs.

Why Lavert Hill but with Bat-Fight words? I forgot to add the annual reminder that “You Might Remember Me from Such Players As” is an “if he works out” designation. Hill was a second coming of Jourdan Lewis, but his size and pure speed (especially after his leg injury) were not quite enough to defend fades. Nobody much minded when PFF spent all summer between Hill’s junior and senior years putting out crazy stats in tweets.

The weaknesses of Hill, relative to David Long or Jourdan Lewis, was his body could only stretch so much. This is Hill’s nasty NFL draft profile after his leg injury, and what I would expect someone would write about McBurrows if they were trying to explain why he’s a 3-star:

Undersized press corner with good instincts, ball skills and coverage strength, but a concerning lack of long speed. Hill's body control and short area quickness put him in position to make plays on the football, but when forced to cover downfield, he begins to grab and pull to prevent big plays against him. He's too small to stay outside but his strength could help balance out average suddenness against shifty slots. The discipline and awareness are present to play short zone, but run support might be an issue if teams come at him from 11 personnel. Projecting a successful move inside is challenging so he gets a backup "prove it" grade until the challenge is met.

Hill was too grabby, and that comes out in McBurrows’s film as well.

I added “With Bat-Fight words” because nobody ever said “brings the pain as a tackler” (POW!) or “laid the two biggest hits of the game (QUNCKK!), including a devastating blow…” about LaVert Hill, though he was an underrated run defender at Michigan. Also because those of you who stuck around for the Summer of Seth are staunch Fred Jacksonists.

Consider this the official petition for @Misopogon to make all YMRMFSPAs Fred Jackson-isms

— David Cook (@davidycook1) August 2, 2021

I also considered Blake Countess, except for the ZIP KERPLOW thing and Countess was not a press guy AT ALL, but say Michigan goes to mostly zone coverages. Like McBurrows, Countess was a small, confident, quick, crafty, and not big predator in Cover 2. Countess was also a 3-star playing for a stacked team (Good Counsel) until his swivelly hips impressed at a bunch of camps, a chance McBurrows’s never got. Wherever Countess went, including MGoBlog’s 2012 spring game event, people remarked what a great guy he is. Countess was salvation for Hoke’s first team after #NeverForget, but moved to nickel as Michigan transitioned to press man because he couldn’t play it. He ended up a safety for Auburn, was drafted in the 6th round, and bounced around the edge of the NFL.

Guru Reliability: Medium. Big-time school that played against top-level competition, and McBurrows drew the competition’s best receivers, so the tape is mostly against receivers who will be on FBS rosters in a year. No camps as a junior and senior when he was reportedly a better player are

Variance: Low. Rivals and 24/7 are in exacting agreement, and ESPN’s rating is from before the offer blitz, and part of a glut of Southern prospects ranked just above a glut of other regions’ prospects. The two sites that pay attention both brought McBurrows up to the Raymon Taylor line then refused to proceed any further.

Ceiling: High-minus. What would you give for a Lavert Hill? However all of those guys were solid 4-stars or above. The scouts saw McBurrows in game settings versus high competition and didn’t think to move him up. But then, the guys who moved up were the guys who went to the limited camps during Covid.

General Excitement Level: High. Is flesh and blood cornerback. And not slow. How many of those on the roster? And there are zero red flags. High.

Projection: Here I have to mention all the Cass Tech corners who came before Jourdan Lewis that made us doubt him, but Terry Richardson and DELONTE HOLLOWELL were 5’9” when standing on Jamie Morris’s stool. The more relevant 3-star variant is Courtney Avery++, which was the comp Brian used for Countess.

The Countess track is plausible. McBurrows has a leg up on most freshman cornerbacks in that the jump in ability (route-running is another matter) between the WRs he faced in high school and what he’ll see in the Big Ten is not that huge. Given the cornerback depth—we’re hoping DJ Turner II renders Vincent Gray obsolete—there’s a direct path to the playing field this fall. Andre Seldon, who is a couple of inches shorter, Darion Green-Warren, who’s slower, and a bunch of recent positional converts are really the only other competition.

You can’t count a guy out if he doesn’t play as a true freshman, but the cavalry arrive in 2022 so it’s important for McBurrows to establish himself in the pecking order. I think the safeties have a better shot at nickel, which also receives a big talent infusion next year. When you’re the one cornerback after a cornerback-a-geddon, either you’re on the field early, or we will assume there’s a reason you’re behind the known-knowns.

That’s especially true at a position that’s 80-percent about having the chops. If McBurrows has them, he should see the field immediately. If he has some of them, he should be tried. If they’re running mostly zones, he might even be more comfortable than some of them. Best case scenario, he does something cool against Washington, is in a heavy rotation by NIU, and starting by the Big Ten season, giving up a few slot fades here and there. Fortunately Green and Dax Hill are around to avoid any major size mismatches, so a small and quick guy to take away the 6’0” speedsters should have a shorter path to the field than the lengthy Don Brown holdovers. That means Seldon or McBurrows. Ja’Den is not a great shot at an instant field corner to pair with Gemon Green this year, but since everyone else was around last year, McBurrows is probably their best one.