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If there is going to be a freak athlete at the combine come February it's going to be Treylon Burks from Arkansas whose speed and power for his size brings images of D.K. Metcalf, Andre Johnson, and Calvin Johnson when they were coming in the NFL. At 6'3" and 230 lbs. Burks is a freak athlete that can turn a short pass into an 80 yard house through sheer will, speed, and strength. He's a monster to deal with after the catch as he runs with such voracity and many of his touchdowns have come from him just ripping through defenses on short passes. He turns into a running back when he catches the football with his ability to bull though tackles and even juke and and break ankles in the open field and for a 230 lbs. receiver to be that agile and elusive is a rare sight. He has easily one of the best stiff arms in college regardless of position and when he sticks his hand in your chest he's very capable of tossing his potential tackler. He possesses excellent ball carrier vision in the open field with his ability to take proper angles to find the straight away where he can let his speed takeover and burn a defense deep. He possesses elite ball skills, even among receivers, with many of his catches coming outside his frame and on occasion with one hand which gives him some of the most secure hands in this draft. He possesses excellent vertical explosiveness to leap up and win 50/50 balls and does a great job of timing his jumps to high point the football. He's very willing to go over the middle with his size and athleticism and while he's taken some hits in those dangerous waters, he's very good at bouncing them off contact, keeping his feet, and getting the line to gain. He's played everywhere on the Arkansas offense, snaps in the slot, on the outside, and has even taken snaps on reverse plays which shows a high football IQ and versatility for a prospect. He brings the best game against his best opponents and when you are a weaker team in the always challenging SEC, your best has to be every game. He dominated against incredibly tough defensive teams like Alabama, 8 catches for 179 yards with 2 touchdowns, and Texas A&M, 6 catches for 167 yards and a touchdown, and even though they lost those games he clearly showed just how dangerous a receiver he can be. He's as tough as a tank with his willingness to take punishment over the middle for his team but to also play injured for his team which he was at Alabama when he recorded his best game. He was Arkansas's offense who often had to make plays happen for them to stay in games.
He often relies on his size and athletic prowess to make plays and he'll need to become much more. He's not a great route-runner at this point in his career and like the aforementioned players above, he could struggle to develop into a precise route-runner in the NFL due to his size. Making quick cuts in his routes has proven to be an issue for him which results in many of his catches being contested. Not the most diverse route tree amongst receivers in this draft and further expanding his routes will be key to his development. His consistency in the stat column can be iffy just a bit with monster performances in some games and completely being washed out in others which tells me that Arkansas schemed him into position a great deal, which is something you would do with an athletic and talented receiver of Burks's caliber, and when the scheming fails it seemed that Burks's went down along with it. His physicality, although admirable and an excellent trait for a receiver,
He's going to be the talk of the NFL draft world after his combine because just based on his tape, he's one scariest athlete in this draft. His ability to not just turn up field and leave scorched corners behind him but his ability to outmuscle and out maneuver SEC defenders with relative ease is going to skyrocket him up boards come draft day. Yes he's raw as a route-runner and yes his route tree needs to grow but you can't teach what he possesses a prospect like you can with his overall technique. If he gets put on an NFL team with a creative coordinator and a decent quarterback, lookout for the offensive rookie of the year. He has an astronomical ceiling and if he can polish his game up and become a much better route-runner he could be a perennial pro bowl receiver.
He often relies on his size and athletic prowess to make plays and he'll need to become much more. He's not a great route-runner at this point in his career and like the aforementioned players above, he could struggle to develop into a precise route-runner in the NFL due to his size. Making quick cuts in his routes has proven to be an issue for him which results in many of his catches being contested. Not the most diverse route tree amongst receivers in this draft and further expanding his routes will be key to his development. His consistency in the stat column can be iffy just a bit with monster performances in some games and completely being washed out in others which tells me that Arkansas schemed him into position a great deal, which is something you would do with an athletic and talented receiver of Burks's caliber, and when the scheming fails it seemed that Burks's went down along with it. His physicality, although admirable and an excellent trait for a receiver,
He's going to be the talk of the NFL draft world after his combine because just based on his tape, he's one scariest athlete in this draft. His ability to not just turn up field and leave scorched corners behind him but his ability to outmuscle and out maneuver SEC defenders with relative ease is going to skyrocket him up boards come draft day. Yes he's raw as a route-runner and yes his route tree needs to grow but you can't teach what he possesses a prospect like you can with his overall technique. If he gets put on an NFL team with a creative coordinator and a decent quarterback, lookout for the offensive rookie of the year. He has an astronomical ceiling and if he can polish his game up and become a much better route-runner he could be a perennial pro bowl receiver.