Is Arkansas WR Treylon Burks the next A.J. Brown?

Treylon Burks

Arkansas wide receiver Treylon Burks is a physically imposing and athletically gifted prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft who has a chance to end this year’s draft cycle as the top player at his position, over the likes of Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Alabama’s John Metchie III.

In fact, according to NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah, Burks has a skill set that compares favorable to Titans star pass-catcher, A.J. Brown.

“I remember watching Brown torch the SEC from the slot,” Jeremiah wrote. “Brown is a little more explosive than Burks, but both guys play with tremendous physicality and toughness. They aren’t afraid to work in traffic and they become special once the ball is in their hands. Brown has already established himself as a premier player at his position in the NFL. I don’t believe Burks has quite the same upside, but I see him developing into a solid No. 2 target at the next level.”

I agree with Jeremiah’s take about Burks’ borderline special qualities after the catch. He’s an explosive north-south runner who chews up yards in chunks, and I’m not as concerned about his speed as Jeremiah appears to be.

“Burks has good-not-great speed,” Jeremiah wrote. “He doesn’t generate a ton of separation down the field, but he tracks the ball naturally and can win in a crowd. I’d like to see him run a wider variety of routes, but that’s not his role in this system. He flashes the ability to quickly get in and out of the break point when asked to do so. Hopefully, he will get some more opportunities to play outside in the upcoming season.”

Burks’ burst is a pretty strong indicator that with traditional pre-draft training, he’ll register a quality 40-time. Sure, it’d be nice to see him make explosive plays as a boundary receiver down the field, but it shouldn’t hurt his grade if his tape doesn’t have any of those moments at the end of the 2021 season.

He’s a big dude who’s coordinated and has really enticing short-area burst and exciting open-field tackle-breaking ability. Guys with his listed size (6-3, 225) don’t often move like he does, even if his 40-time doesn’t match up with smaller players in recent years like Henry Ruggs III and Ja’Marr Chase.

Burks has all the makings of a first-round prospect. Being compared to A.J. Brown certainly won’t hurt that cause.

Bryan Perez

Bryan is the founder of Pro Football Draft. His work has been featured on The Draft Network, NBC Sports and USA Today. Former CFL scout.

Follow him on Twitter: @BryanPerezNFL