He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.

Over his junior and senior seasons, he had 135 tackles and 28 sacks combined and helped his team win state titles.

After the season, Burns decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2019 NFL draft.

[14] In Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Burns recorded a sack on Gardner Minshew and returned a forced fumble for a touchdown in the 34–27 win.

[17] In Week 7 against the New Orleans Saints, Burns recorded a strip sack on Drew Brees that was recovered by the Panthers during the 27–24 loss.

He finished with nine sacks, 58 total tackles, four passes defended, and three forced fumbles.

He finished with nine sacks, 50 total tackles, four passes defended, and two forced fumbles.

[26] He finished the 2022 season with 12.5 sacks, 63 total tackles, three passes defended, and one forced fumble in 16 games and starts.