Amari Burney records first career NFL sack in preseason game

The NFL preseason is fully underway and with it a chance for former college players hoping to find their way onto an NFL roster to make some noise. Former Florida linebacker Amari Burney is doing just that.

The former Gators star was involved early and often in the first half of a game between his Las Vegas Raiders and the San Francisco 49ers.

To start one San Francisco drive, Burney recorded his first career NFL sack, slipping through the middle and chasing 49ers quarterback Trey Lance down for the tackle. Check it out below.

.@raiders defense came to play today 💪

📺: #SFvsLV on @NFLNetwork
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/bBFpXevVUR pic.twitter.com/Yrx4z6BCKB

— NFL (@NFL) August 13, 2023

Amari Burney made another tackle shortly after on the drive, his second of the game. His speed was readily apparent, perhaps his best quality in five years at the college level.

It was that athleticism that likely led the Raiders to draft him in the sixth round in the 2023 NFL Draft, taking him with the No. 203 overall pick in the draft.

Prior to that, Burney spent five years at Florida plying his trade. He was a regular starter for the better part of the last three.

Amari Burney appeared in 58 games during his career, starting 22 of them. He logged 223 total tackles in his career, as well as 15.0 tackles for a loss, 7.0 sacks, four interceptions, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and 16 passes defended.

His most productive season came as a senior in 2022, when Burney recorded 79 tackles, 9.0 tackles for a loss, 4.0 sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six passes defended.

Before he arrived at Florida, Amari Burney was a highly sought-after four-star recruit.

He was ranked as the No. 219 overall player in the 2018 recruiting class, checking in as the No. 28 linebacker and the No. 37 overall player from the state of Florida, hailing from Clearwater (Fla.) Calvary Christian.