Former Georgia Tech center Freddie Burden will be at home in Atlanta with his mother and aunt during the NFL draft this weekend. He feels good about what it will bring.
“I’m positive about the whole situation,” Burden said. “I think I’ll be OK. I don’t know which team, but I feel good about the position that I’m in right now. I hope everything works out.”
The list of Tech offensive linemen who have played for coach Paul Johnson and signed NFL contracts is not long, but there’s reason to think that Burden has a shot either to sign as an undrafted free agent or to get picked late in the draft.
A primary one is his size, 6-foot-4 and 299 pounds. He compares favorably with the 10 centers rated as seventh-round picks or better by CBS Sports, as they range in height from 6-foot-1 to 6-6 and from 291 pounds to 312.
A year to remember for Freddie Burden
He has shown durability, starting 38 of 39 games over the past three seasons while playing through injury. And he has shown the agility to play in Tech’s option offense while also demonstrating the strength to drive block defensive tackles.
Burden’s agent Ryan Rubin said that a little over half of the NFL’s teams have expressed interest in his client.
“I feel really good about his chances,” said Burden’s agent, Ryan Rubin. “If he doesn’t end up getting drafted, I have no doubt somebody will grab him as a priority free agent.”
Burden said his rehabilitation from his broken ankle suffered in the TaxSlayer Bowl is on track. He has begun running on an anti-gravity treadmill and doing squats. Obviously, it has prevented him from working out for teams prior to the draft. He said he hopes to be running in May.
The website Draft Analyst and CBS Sports both give Burden an undrafted free-agent grade.
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