Rob Burnett of the Browns and Ravens and DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys and Seahawks stand as close parallels across different eras. Neither was a pure speed rusher who piled up double-digit sacks every season. Both were durable, physical, and versatile ends who consistently disrupted—particularly against the run—while earning Pro Bowl and All-Pro recognition and anchoring Super Bowl defenses.
Burnett (6-4, roughly 265 pounds), a fifth-round pick out of Syracuse in 1990, developed under Bill Belichick and Nick Saban in Cleveland into a reliable left end capable of two-gapping, setting the edge, and rushing the passer. He made the Pro Bowl as an alternate in 1994 after recording 10 sacks and was selected by Rick Gosselin to his personal All-Pro team for the Dallas Morning News. In 2000 with the Ravens he earned second-team All-Pro honors (10.5 sacks); that season Gosselin again named him All-Pro, as did Paul Zimmerman and Peter King of Sports Illustrated.
Over 14 seasons and 202 games he totaled 73 sacks and roughly 600 tackles, finishing with a Super Bowl ring as a key piece of the 2000 Ravens’ historic defense. In our October 2021 profile "Rob Burnett—One Tough Dude," the focus was on his strength, enough quickness to swim and make plays in the backfield, and his ability to play end, three-technique, or even nose in Marvin Lewis's packages (freeing Ray Lewis). He was the steady presence who made the scheme work—never taking plays off while allowing the rest of the front to attack. On passing downs in the Ravens' prime he frequently moved inside and beat guards the way he beat tackles.
Pro Football Focus (PFF) did not exist in Burnett’s era, but Proscout, Inc., did. Its grades ranked him a top-ten defensive end five times, with another handful of seasons in the next tier (red). Those rankings are worth keeping in mind.
Lawrence (6-3, 255-ish pounds), a second-round pick (34th overall) out of Boise State in 2014, has followed a parallel path. He owns five Pro Bowl selections and a second-team All-Pro nod in 2017 (when he led the league with 14.5 sacks in some tallies and finished tied for second). Through 163 games, including the first half of the 2026 season, he has 67.5 sacks, more than 500 tackles, 24 forced fumbles, and a Super Bowl ring with the Seahawks after the 2025 season.
Like Burnett, his value has never rested solely on sack totals. He has been a high-effort edge player who can move inside, set the edge, knife into the backfield for tackles for loss, and create problems for both tackles and guards. Our X account has described him as "this generation’s Rob Burnett" or "this era's Rob Burnett"—not a player who posts huge sack numbers every year, but always a problem, able to beat blockers in multiple ways and make plays that do not always register as sacks. He has lined up inside as well as outside, and at both ends.
Unlike Burnett, Lawrence’s career has fallen in the PFF era and who has ranked him in the top ten five times and in the next grouping another handful of seasons. His elite seasons and next-tier grades track closely with Burnett’s Proscout rankings, allowing for the inevitable differences between grading systems. Given the other parallels, comparing position rankings across platforms is reasonable.
The statistical comparison is also close in several categories despite different eras and schemes. Lawrence has not yet hit the late-career decline that is usually inevitable; it arrived for Burnett and may still come for Lawrence. Both developed or thrived in schemes that asked more than simply pinning the ears back. Burnett adjusted from an upfield rusher under Bud Carson to a tighter, stronger two-gap player under Belichick and Saban, then became the linchpin of Lewis's creative Ravens fronts. Lawrence has played under several defensive coaches and is now part of an elite defense in Seattle.
Lawrence is the modern analog of Burnett: a tough, versatile, high-effort defensive end whose impact exceeds pure sack totals. He earned All-Pro recognition in a peak year, contributed to a championship defense, and remained a consistent problem for offenses across a long stretch of his career. Draft pedigree and era differ, but the on-field profile and value to their respective defenses line up closely.
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