What made me want to become a football player was definitely my family. My dad played at St. FX, and my brother played at U of T, so football was always around me growing up. I\u2019ve always loved sports in general, but what really pulls me toward football is how competitive it is. More than anything, I love winning, and football is the sport where I feel I can compete at the highest level and make the biggest impact.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nWhat are your favorite moments from your football life?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Nothing tops the Panda Game this year. Finally getting off that losing streak felt like all the weight from the past few years came off at once. A lot of the guys I came in with had become big parts of that win, which made it even more meaningful. Sharing that moment with my brother and my teammates is something I\u2019ll never forget, because we all knew how much work, frustration, and sacrifice it took to get there.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\n- Another favourite moment from my football life was my first sack. I was still a rookie, I had not played much yet, so making a play like that meant a lot to me. It was one of those moments that made everything feel real and showed me I belonged out there.<\/li>\n
- Other notable moments would be my first sack in the Panda Game, and beating my brother at U of T a couple of times in what we called the \u201cBurke Bowl.\u201d But more than any single play or game, the biggest thing I\u2019ll take with me is all the memories I\u2019ve made with my teammates over the years.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What are you looking to achieve as a football player going forward?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- I feel like the next step for me is pro football. More than anything, I just want to keep progressing as a player and see how far I can take this. I do not want to slow down now. I have been building momentum for a while, and I am not ready for that to stop. Going forward, I want to keep developing, make more connections, create more memories, and hopefully be part of a lot more wins.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
If you could hang out with any football player past or present for a day, who and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Rob Gronkowski. I feel like that one kind of speaks for itself. He was my favourite player growing up, and he is just one of those guys who looks like he would be an unreal person to spend a day with. Beyond the fun side of it, I also think he would have a lot of insight to share about the game, handling pressure, and enjoying the whole journey.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Which one of your family members inspires you the most and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- My brother, without a doubt. He\u2019s always been my competition, but also the one who paved the way for me. He had to break down a lot of the doors that I\u2019ve been able to walk through, and he made a lot of things easier for me along the way. At the same time, he\u2019s still the standard I\u2019m chasing, and I really appreciate the pace he set.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What is your favorite defensive scheme and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- My favorite defensive scheme is a 4\u20134 with an athletic D-line. It lets you be aggressive against the pass while still being solid against the run. Even if the interior is a bit undersized, having four backers helps clean everything up and keeps the run game in check. It also puts a lot of importance on the outside linebackers being able to run with receivers, which I like because it keeps the defense versatile. We ran it really well in my third year, where we called it \u201c8 Ball,\u201d and it just felt like everything clicked.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What should we know about Brody Burke the person?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- I\u2019d say the biggest thing to know about me is that I care deeply about my people. The people close to me are people I want to protect, support, and love hard. Loyalty means a lot to me, and I take pride in being someone others can count on.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m also big on earning everything. I grew up in a home where a lot could have been handed to me, but my parents made sure me and my siblings understood that life is not about handouts. They taught us to work for what we have and to build things for ourselves, and that mindset has stayed with me.<\/li>\n
- Personality-wise, I enjoy the quiet more than the loud. I like having space to think, stay grounded, and just be around the right people. But at the same time, I can operate well in both. I can handle the noise, the energy, and the spotlight when it is time to show up.<\/li>\n
- I\u2019m still only 21, so I\u2019m still figuring parts of myself out, but I\u2019d say at my core I\u2019m loyal, hardworking, persistent, and someone who values the people around him.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What stands out about your film the most?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- What stands out most about my film is my versatility. I can play both tackle and end, transition from speed to power, and play specials. But most importantly, I make plays, I bring an unorthodox style, and I use my athleticism well. One of my biggest strengths is how I perform under pressure. When the moment gets bigger, I feel like I rise with it.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
How do you handle challenges both in life and on the football field?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- I use challenges as fuel. I\u2019ve been lucky enough to understand that setbacks usually mean you\u2019re moving in the right direction, because they come with lessons. Obviously, like anyone, I hate losing and I hate when things go wrong, but I think one of my strengths is how well I bounce back and handle the ups and downs.<\/li>\n
- That applies to life just as much as football. On the field, if I get knocked down, I like to believe I\u2019m one of the fastest guys to get back up and go make the next play. I do not sit in failure for long. I try to learn from it, respond to it, and keep moving forward.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What would a team get in a player like you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- A team would get a player who is always looking for ways to improve. I\u2019m not someone who can sit still, and I honestly don\u2019t know much outside of sports and competition. They\u2019d get someone who pushes the people around him, asks questions, and works until he can\u2019t anymore. I might not always have every answer right away, but I\u2019ll find it, and I\u2019ll make sure I get it. Beyond being a long, athletic lineman, they\u2019d also get someone who understands that football is a job and treats it that way every day by showing up ready to work.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
What do you love the most about the game of football?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- What I love most about football is that it\u2019s different from any other sport because your time in it is limited. Unless you can find a group of 40-year-olds still willing to put their bodies on the line, there really is no lifelong version of football the way there is with other sports. The clock is always ticking, and I think that makes the game mean more.<\/li>\n
- I also love the kind of people football brings together. You get big strong guys, smaller fast guys, people from different backgrounds, different ways of thinking, different kinds of intelligence, offense, defense, all of it. You share a room with all of them, and you have to learn how to connect, adapt, and grow with people who are not the same as you. That part is special to me. I love that feeling of a whole group, even from completely different places, coming together for one purpose.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Who is the most underrated player you\u2019ve played with and why?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n- Jake Henderson. He\u2019s easily one of the best ball players I\u2019ve ever played with. He makes plays, but more than that, he\u2019s a guy who truly loves the game. I think people underestimate him at first, but he\u2019s stronger than people think, he moves serious weight in the gym, and he works harder than almost anyone I know.<\/li>\n
- He\u2019s also an amazing person and a true leader. He leads by example every day, and guys naturally follow him because of how consistent and genuine he is.<\/li>\n
- He just got invited to the East-West Bowl, and I\u2019m honestly really happy to see him starting to get the recognition he deserves. Anyone who played with him on the Panthers already knew he could tackle, but now people are seeing that he\u2019s got way more to his game. On top of that, he\u2019s also an unreal entertainment wrestler, so if the CFL or NFL somehow miss on him, the WWE definitely shouldn\u2019t.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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Writer\/Scout\/Interviewer for Draft Diamonds since January 2020. You can find me on X at @jrberendzen and Instagram at justinberendzen<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
Read More<\/a> Justin Berendzen<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"2026 NFL Draft Prospect Interview: Brody Burke, DL, Carleton University Name: Brody Burke Position: DL College: Carleton University Height: 6\u20194\u2033 Weight: 260 lbs Instagram: @brodydz What made you decide you wanted to be a football player? What made me want to become a football player was definitely my family. My dad played at St. FX<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":896185,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3774,3790,32661],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-896184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-draft","8":"category-football","9":"category-prospect"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=896184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/896184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/896185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=896184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=896184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=896184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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