As usual, the NFL draft is filled with wide receiver talent in 2022. One of the biggest names in this year’s class is Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks. Dive into his scouting report below.
Background
At six-foot-three and 225 pounds, Burks certainly looks the part of an NFL wide receiver. A three-year contributor for the Arkansas Razorbacks, Burks had by far his best season in 2021. His stat line of 66 receptions for 1,104 yards and 11 touchdowns earned him a spot on the 2021 All-SEC team. At his size, he is still plenty fast and will likely clock a time in the high 4.3’s or low 4.4’s. Although he suffered a chest/shoulder injury prior to the game against Alabama, he has managed to stay healthy throughout the rest of his collegiate career.
Strengths
Of course, the first thing that sticks out about Burks is his size. With his height and weight combination, he is almost always going to have the advantage over his defender. This is most evident in contested catches. Rarely, if ever, does he lose a one-on-one catch opportunity. His hands are incredibly strong at the catch point, and he is simply too big for defenders to handle when he is in the air. He has good leaping ability but will have to get better at timing his jumps as sometimes he does leave the ground a bit early.
Often deployed on bubble screens to get him into space, Burks does a good job in the open field, and his sheer size makes him difficult to bring down. He has some shiftiness to his game. Early on in his career, his versatility was a huge advantage for him as he lined up all over the field, including on the outside, in the slot, as an H-back, and even in the backfield. He can be a multifaceted weapon in the NFL.
Treylon Burks is a stud. pic.twitter.com/D1UDiY09M4
— RobSoundsGood (@RobSoundsGood) October 12, 2021
Weaknesses
As far as any weaknesses, Burks must get better with his releases. Currently, he is deployed from the slot most often, which helps as he can avoid press coverage. For a player of his size, he must become more efficient when defeating press coverage. Much of these struggles come from his footwork as well, as he does not always appear to have a plan at the beginning of routes. Contested catch dominance can only take him so far. Much of the same can be said for his route running as a whole.
He does not run a wide variety of routes and, while he does well to find soft spots against zone, he struggles to get open man to man. These things can be taught in the NFL but will also only become more difficult as the competition improves.
Projection
Burks is going to be a problem in the NFL if he is used correctly. Throughout the draft process, the Arkansas product is going to be compared often to Tennessee Titans star wideout A.J. Brown.
These comparisons are warranted and are the best high-end projection for Burks, who projects best as a “big slot” style wide receiver. The conversation will then become: how valuable is that from an NFL draft perspective? Personally, I believe his skill set and potential are well worth a first-round pick. If he can harness his physicality and use it in his route running, he has WR1 capability.
For teams in need of a dominant wide receiver at the catch point, Burks is everything you could hope for.
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*Top Photo: Wesley Hitt/Getty Images