Morgan Burnett

The Packers acquired the 71st overall pick to draft Burnett after trading with the Philadelphia Eagles their third (86th overall) and fourth round (122nd overall) picks.

Morgan Mark Burnett (born January 13, 1989) is a former American football safety and current American football coach for Walton High School.

He was offered athletic scholarship by a number of high-major schools, including Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia, before choosing to attend Georgia Tech on January 10, 2007.

As a freshman, Burnett played in all 13 games and started against UNC.

He subbed at safety and came in on the nickel package all season.

Burnett led the team in interceptions (3) and ranked fifth on the team in tackles (57, 37 solo).

He subsequently earned ACC All-Freshman team by Sporting News.

As a sophomore in 2008, Burnett started all 13 games for the Yellow Jackets.

He recorded 93 tackles, of which 62 were solo.

Burnett also had seven interceptions and returned them for 95 yards.

In the season opener vs. Jacksonville State, he picked off two Ryan Perrilloux passes, returning one of them 47 yards.

Later in the season, he picked off a Matthew Stafford pass and returned it 35 yards for his first career touchdown at Georgia.

Burnett was named to a number of All-ACC and All-American teams, including Pro Football Weekly's 2008 All-America first-team.

He played college football at Georgia Tech and was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the third round of the 2010 NFL Draft.

He also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.

He announced retirement in 2022.

A native of College Park, Georgia, Burnett attended North Clayton High School, where he played for the North Clayton Eagles high school football team.

He was named Class AAAA first-team all-state as a senior after earning honorable mention all-state recognition at quarterback as a sophomore.

He made 135 tackles as a senior and six interceptions including three that he returned for touchdowns.

Burnett was also a four-year letterman in track & field, where he was one of the states top performers in the triple jump.

He got a personal-best leap of 47 ft, 12 in (14.61 meters) in the triple jump.

He also competed in the long jump, 400-meters and relays.

Considered a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Burnett ranked seventh among safety prospects nationwide.

On January 11, 2010, Burnett announced he would enter his name in the 2010 NFL Draft and forgo his senior season.

The Green Bay Packers selected Burnett in the third round (71st overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.

He was the sixth safety selected in 2010.

On July 17, 2010, the Green Bay Packers signed Burnett to a four-year, $3.50 million contract that includes a signing bonus of $875,100.

Burnett entered training camp competing for the job as the starting strong safety against veterans Atari Bigby and Charlie Peprah.

He progressed quickly and received first-team reps after Bigby held out due to a contract dispute.

Head coach Mike McCarthy named Burnett the starting strong safety to start the regular season, alongside free safety Nick Collins.

He started the Green Bay Packers' season-opener at the Philadelphia Eagles and recorded two solo tackles during their 27–20 victory.

The following week, Burnett recorded a season-high five combined tackles, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception off of a pass by quarterback Trent Edwards in their 34–7 victory over the Buffalo Bills.

In Week 4, Burnett made three solo tackles before leaving the 28–26 win against the Detroit Lions in the second quarter after suffering an injury.

The next day, it was discovered that Burnett had torn his ACL and was placed on injured reserve three days later for the remainder of the season.

Burnett finished his rookie season with 14 combined tackles (12 solo), one pass deflection, and an interception in four games and four starts.

The Packers finished the 2010 season second in the NFC North with a 10–6 record and went on to win Super Bowl XLV after defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31–25.

Burnett returned as the de facto starting strong safety in 2011 after Atari Bigby departed in free agency.

He started the Green Bay Packers' season-opener against the New Orleans Saints and collected a career-high 14 combined tackles (seven solo) during a 42–34 victory.

The following week, he collected eight solo tackles, two pass deflections, an interception, and made his first career sack on quarterback Cam Newton in the Packers' 30–23 victory at the Carolina Panthers.

In Week 3, Burnett made six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by quarterback Jay Cutler during a 27–17 victory at the Chicago Bears.