Treylon Burks: 2021 Devy Profile

WIDE RECEIVER, ARKANSAS, ELIGIBLE FOR 2022 NFL DRAFT

Treylon Burks is a 6’3”, 231 lbs. four-star wide receiver for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was the WR16, 103rd player overall, and #1 player in the state out of Arkansas from the 2022 class.

PAST PRODUCTION (COLLEGE STATS)

As a Freshman in 2019 Burks led the Razorbacks in receiving yards with 475, but he unfortunately never found his way to the endzone. The yardage was good for a 22% market share but the lack of touchdowns prevented Treylon from officially breaking out as freshmen with a <20% Dominator Rating.

As a Sophomore in 2020 Burks officially “broke out” leading Arkansas in receptions (52), yards (820), and touchdowns (7)! His production was good enough for an impressive 38% adjusted Dominator Rating. For comparison purposes here is how that stacks up to some of the other top Sophomores in 2020:

In addition to being very productive, Treylon Burks was also very efficient:

To sum things up, Treylon Burks had a great abbreviated 2020 season.

2021 OUTLOOK/PERFORMANCE

Going into the 2021 season Treylon Burks should be Arkansas’s best player, and they should look to funnel the ball his way. The big question for Arkansas will be QB play. Feleipe Franks is headed to the NFL Draft, and although he was not fantastic in 2020 he was much better than K.J. Jefferson who only completed 48% of his passes when called upon. Arkansas projects to have 5 QBs on the roster come 2021 and all of them are young and inexperienced. If whoever takes over in 2021 sits around a 50% completion rate it could be a tough year for Burks.

The first thing that comes to mind is Jalen Reagor’s 2019 season where the TCU offense only completed 53% of their passes. A down 2021 season could bring down both Burks’s devy value and NFL draft stock. However, Reagor was able to maintain value and still get first-round draft capital. If Treylon is to be plagued by poor QB play, the hope is he can stay afloat with his impressive 2020 season. It is also very possible one of the QBs on the roster steps up and Burks has a 1,000 yard Junior year. Only time will tell and I will be keeping an eye on this situation.

DEVY ANALYSIS

As of now, Treylon Burks is a consensus top 5 WR in the 2022 class. I am very confident he will end up in my top 3. What will propel Burks up boards is his athleticism and size. With a frame very similar to D.K. Metcalf and speed of his own, Burks could be a big combine riser. Reports are Treylon has been clocked with a 4.4 40 which is not D.K. Metcalf fast, but fast enough to turn heads and get NFL coaches and GMs talking.

As I mentioned previously I am concerned with a potential production drop for Burks in the 2021 season. There is not a proven QB on the Arkansas roster and as we all know, a WR’s upside can be capped by his QB. In addition to a potential down year in 2021, another perceived negative would be Burks’s usage at Arkansas.

When you see 6’3 231 you think of an outside WR, using their size and strength to beat CBs off the line of scrimmage. However, that is not the case for Burks, as Arkansas uses him in the slot the overwhelming majority of the time. Some NFL staff could see this as a negative which may cap his upside. Similar to the QB situation, I will be monitoring Treylon’s usage in 2021 and see if Arkansas starts to move him around the formation. I want to see if Burks can be effective as an outside WR, typical of a WR of his stature.

Due to the question marks of his usage and potential let down production-wise in 2021, I would not bet on Burks being drafted in round one of the NFL Draft come next spring. However, day two draft capital would still be a big win for Burks. When looking at “bigger” WRs drafted in the 2nd and 3rd round that play a lot of snaps from the slot, Burks could end up in good company.

The players that immediately come to mind are Keenan Allen (3rd round pick) and Juju Smith-Schuster (2nd round pick). Allen and Smith have very large hands, both at least 10”, and it is reported that Treylon Burks wears custom-ordered 5XL gloves, so I expect him to join them in the 10”+ hands club. Where Burks can separate himself from these players is his size and athleticism. Treylon is a thick 6’3 and he should test significantly better than Allen and Smith-Schuster did at the combine.

As a player, Burks wins with his size, athleticism, and strong hands. Working from the slot he is typically both bigger and faster than the players across from him. He uses his speed to simply run away from defenders and his size and strength to outmuscle them for the ball in contested situations. I believe talent evaluators will drool at his athletic ability but they may ding him for route running. As I mentioned, he gets open with his speed and quickness and uses his frame to make tough catches when well-covered. However, on the tape I have watched he doesn’t often use finesse and sharp footwork to beat DBs. He is not a lumbering 231 pounds and has good feet for his size, so becoming a better route runner is something I believe he is capable of.

At Arkansas Burks is used as a YAC threat, deep threat, and red zone target. He is not often used as a possession receiver and this is more likely due to a lack of precise route running. When talking upside, Burks probably has the highest of any WR in the 2022 class. He is bigger than all the other notable names in this class and he will probably end up testing better than all of his counterparts as well. He could end up being the first WR taken in the 2022 NFL Draft but will need several things to go right for him. Most important are going to be having a QB that can support a 1,000-yard season and showing the ability to play on the outside.

Considering Burks is not a top 2 Devy WR for most people, I believe this makes him a good buy candidate due to his potential to catapult up draft boards. I am very high on him because he checks all of the boxes I am looking for in a WR. He has a 2nd-year breakout, a Dominator Rating over 30%, a great build, big hands, and projected Day 1 or 2 Draft Capital. He will battle David Bell for my top WR position in the 2022 class.

Thanks for reading my profile on Treylon Burks, I hope you took something away from it! You can follow me @RookieWhisper for more content.