Burks played a big role in Oklahoma’s offense last season, totaling 86 targets. He would catch 58 of those passes for 617 yards with four touchdowns. Last season, Burks was also quite good after the catch, showing off his playmaking abilities.
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Although he’s under 5-10 and 180 pounds, most of Burks’ snaps came open during his career rather than in the slot. The Colts believe he can continue to line up both inside and outside at the NFL level.
“He’s not the typical size you want, but I think pound for pound this kid, his play strength and how well armed he is,” Colts scout Mike Lacy said. “I think he shouldn’t be labeled exclusively as a slot receiver. I think he has the speed to threaten vertically, no matter where you line him up on the field. And then in some situations again, that power play, catch through contact, or if he’s outside the numbers, I think he can do more than just play inside, in my opinion.”
Burks is a fantastic athlete, running a 4.30-second 40 during the pre-draft process, as well as posting a 42.5-inch vertical and 10-11 in the long jump. He also performed an impressive 26 reps on the bench press.
“With his size, pound for pound, I mean, this kid is very, very strong, very explosive,” Lacy said. “You can feel it when he comes off the ball. And again, you can feel it when he runs through contact. I think the bench press is consistent with what we saw on film.”
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Burks should have a chance to compete with Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for the WR3 role, along with Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.
There may not have been a better value pick in the entire draft. The Colts drafted Burks 254th overall, but on the consensus big board, he was the 96th-ranked player.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: What Colts scout said about WR Deion Burks