Pasadena native Ethan Burke has officially earned a spot on the Baltimore Ravens’ 53-man roster, completing an unlikely journey from a childhood rooted in lacrosse to the NFL. Burke signed with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent this spring and impressed throughout training camp and the preseason to secure a place on Baltimore’s final roster.
Burke was introduced to lacrosse at an early age, following a family connection to the sport through his father, Zack Burke. Zack played lacrosse at Chesapeake High School before attending Archbishop Spalding and later continuing his career at UMBC. Ethan showed considerable promise in the sport himself, eventually developing into one of the nation’s top young lacrosse prospects. Football would come later, including time with the Pasadena Panthers youth program, before ultimately becoming the sport that would take him all the way to the NFL.
For local sports fans, Burke’s story comes with an especially strong Maryland connection. Although his family later moved across the country, Burke spent part of his childhood in Pasadena. His parents, Zack and Jill, eventually relocated the family first to California and later to Texas, but Burke’s earliest athletic roots remained here in Anne Arundel County.
Lacrosse remained a major part of Burke’s life as he grew older. By his early teenage years, his size and talent had attracted attention from some of the nation’s top college programs. He eventually committed to play lacrosse at the University of Maryland, seemingly setting up a return to his home state.
But football began opening a different set of doors.
While attending Westlake High School in Austin, Texas, Burke developed into a standout two-sport athlete. He ultimately chose football over lacrosse, signing with the University of Texas and beginning a four-year career with the Longhorns in 2022.
At Texas, Burke grew into a 6-foot-6 defensive presence, appearing in 52 games during his college career. He finished with 114 total tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks while developing into one of the Longhorns’ experienced defensive players.
Despite that production, Burke went unselected in the 2026 NFL Draft. His next opportunity, however, brought him remarkably close to where his story began.
The Ravens signed Burke as an undrafted free agent in April, giving the former Pasadena youngster a chance to compete for an NFL roster spot just a short drive from his childhood hometown.
He made the most of it.
Burke emerged as a consistent playmaker throughout the summer and strengthened his case during Baltimore’s final two preseason games, recording two forced fumbles, a sack, four tackles and two passes defensed. When the Ravens announced their initial 53-man roster on Aug. 30, Burke had earned his place.
The Ravens expect Burke to contribute as part of the outside linebacker rotation as well as on special teams. His ability to get around the football and create turnovers helped separate him during one of the most competitive periods of the NFL season.
Making the team also places Burke in a long Ravens tradition. Baltimore has had at least one undrafted rookie make its initial 53-man roster in 22 of the past 23 seasons. This year, Burke was one of two to do it.
For Pasadena, however, there is another layer to the story.
Long before Burke was playing college football in front of tens of thousands of fans at Texas, he was a young athlete growing up in Pasadena. His path eventually carried his family thousands of miles away, took him from highly regarded lacrosse prospect to major college football player and then placed him on the NFL’s doorstep as an undrafted rookie.
Now, that journey has brought him back to Maryland – this time wearing purple and black.
For the Pasadena Panthers and the community where Burke’s athletic story first began, there will be one more hometown connection to watch when the Baltimore Ravens take the field this season.
