Every great leader once was a follower. Brian Burns had great examples in Carolina.

When he was drafted in 2019, Burns joined a defense with Luke Kuechly and Gerald McCoy. Kuechly, in his final season, became a mentor for Burns at the linebacker position.

But Burns also studied another teammate — on offense. It was running back Christian McCaffrey , who was entering his third season when Burns arrived.

“Christian was one of the guys I looked up to as far as when I first got into the league,” Burns told Newsday. “Just how I wanted to develop and how I wanted to go about my business. He did it completely different than how I do it now, but he was one of the guys that I tried to learn from.”

When the Giants host the 49ers on Sunday, it will be the first time Burns and McCa

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