He played college football at Miami (FL),[1] and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round of the 2016 NFL draft.
A native of Miami, Burns attended Miami Northwestern High School, where he played defensive back and was a teammate of former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate wide receiver Eli Rogers, Dolphins quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, and Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper.
[10] He worked out with 12 other Miami Hurricanes in front of representatives from a total of 31 teams, including Steelers' head coach Mike Tomlin.
[14] Burns was expected to compete against Ross Cockrell and Senquez Golson for the role as the second cornerback in training camp.
His development was delayed after suffering a strained quad that limited his participation in training camp and caused him to miss the first three preseason games.
On November 6, 2016, Burns started his first career game against the Baltimore Ravens and intercepted a pass by Joe Flacco in the first quarter.
The next game, the Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Buffalo Bills and Burns made three solo tackles and intercepted Tyrod Taylor for his third pick of the season.
[21] Burns started the last seven games of the season as the Steelers' outside cornerback opposite Cockrell, with veteran Gay covering the slot.
[22] On January 8, 2017, Burns started in his first career postseason game and recorded three solo tackles and one assist in the Pittsburgh Steelers' 30–12 AFC Wild Card Round victory over the Miami Dolphins.
[23] Burns was named the starting cornerback to begin the regular season, along with newly acquired free agent Joe Haden.
[20] In Week 2, Burns made three combined tackles, deflected a pass, and recovered a fumble by wide receiver Adam Thielen in the fourth quarter of the 26–9 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.
Burns finished the 2017 season with 54 combined tackles (47 solo), 13 pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and an interception in 16 games and 16 starts.
[26] In Week 2 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Burns recorded his first career safety when he tackled Kareem Hunt in the endzone in the 42–37 loss.
[42][43] On October 10, Burns was signed to the active roster, but placed on injured reserve four days later due to a toe injury.
On February 25, 2015, his brother, Thomas Burns, committed to play football for his alma mater, the University of Miami.
[48] On June 29, 2017, Burns was arrested in Miami, Florida, for driving while his license was suspended for failure to pay traffic citations.