Deion Burks, WR Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Burks was a three-star recruit from Belleville High School in Belleville, Mich. in the class of 2021
Deion Burks transferred from Purdue to Oklahoma for the 2024 season. The redshirt junior combines exciting burst and agility to stretch the field vertically or create separation as a route runner at the short to intermediate levels. He projects as a top 100 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Deion Burks, WR Oklahoma: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt junior wide receiver from Inkster, Mich.
Background: Burks was a three-star recruit from Belleville High School in Belleville, Mich. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 808 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 867 for On3.com. Burks was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. He transferred from Purdue to Oklahoma for the 2024 season. Burks produced 35 receptions for 819 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior in high school, earning Division 1-2 All-Michigan honors. He helped Belleville go 9-0 and win the Kensington Lakes-East league title in 2020. Burks also ran the 200 meters, 400 meters, and indoor 60 meters on the track team. He was born on Jan. 8, 2003.
Injuries & Off-Field: Carted off during the 2022-23 Citrus Bowl against LSU with a neck injury and taken to the hospital
Awards: 2023 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Media)
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units, some experience returning kicks, experience playing in the slot and out wide, hurt in 2023 by subpar QB play, good burst off the line, defenders should fear giving him clean releases, mixes route tempo to lull off-man defenders, acceleration to blow by or stack defenders, speed to stack corners in press-man, beat Mike Sainristil out of press coverage for a TD (2023), agile route runner, sells the out-and-up well, great route fakes at the top of the stem, sharp and quick breaks at the top of the stem, strong and sharp cuts off plant foot, quick feet and loose athlete, natural separator, generally tracks the ball well, tracks the ball over his shoulder, adjusts well to the ball when it’s in the air, flashes of fully-extended nice hands catches, fully extends for diving catches, low tackles slide off him, spin move
Cons: Charted with eight drops in 2023, limited size, size significantly limits ability in contested catch situations, likely a slot-only NFL option, too much dancing at the LOS, build presents concerns against press coverage, gets stuck on contact in route, struggles to disengage from mid-route contact, physically outmatched vs. Will Johnson (2023), drifts downfield on in-breaking routes, drifting downfield on a dig route led to a Will Johnson interception (2023), occasionally runs himself into coverage vs. zones, burst is better than his actual long speed, lots of reps with limited impact or separation vs. Ohio State (2023), inconsistent ability to break tackles, limited interest or power as a blocker
Overview: Burks carries special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, punt return, and punt coverage units to Oklahoma, including some experience returning kicks. He played primarily outside in 2022 and in the slot in 2023. Burks is the size of an NFL slot receiver, which limits his ability to win at the catch point against tight coverage. He has good burst off the line to immediately threaten cornerbacks in off-man coverage. Playing soft-shoe press on Burks without a jam is not a good idea. The recent transfer mixes route tempo to freeze defenders before accelerating past them. He has the speed to stack corners out of press-man coverage. Burks won his fair share of reps against Ohio State in 2023, including a few routes where he was wide open but his quarterback was looking elsewhere. However, there were also a large number of plays that illustrated the concerns surrounding Burks’ profile. He struggled to handle the early and continuous contact Ohio State badgered him with all afternoon. Later in the season, Burks lacked the physicality to contend with Michigan’s Will Johnson. Burks hurt his team by drifting downfield after breaking on a dig route, allowing Johnson to undercut the route for an interception. Johnson’s patience and poise in off-man coverage also negated Burks’ downfield burst. The receiver gets jammed by press coverage and stuck on contact mid-route, which he struggles to disengage from. Burks has good initial burst off the line, but he spends too much time dancing in his release instead of getting into his pattern. He also drifts downfield on in-breaking routes. The Michigan native is an agile route runner with quick feet and a loose lower body. He uses excellent route fakes at the top of the stem and executes sharp breaks to generate natural separation. Burks generally tracks the ball well over his shoulder and downfield. He makes good adjustments to poorly placed throws but is limited by his catch radius. The All-Big Ten honorable mention fully extends for diving catches. He occasionally runs himself into zone coverages and is still developing his understanding of holes in the defense. His burst is more impressive than his actual long speed. Burks slips low arm tackle attempts but doesn’t frequently break free from wrap up attempts above his waist. He presents limited upside and play strength as a blocker. Burks would benefit heavily from being deployed in what Kyle Shanahan described as “cheat motion,” which allows the receiver to build some momentum right before the snap and limits the defense’s ability to press at the line of scrimmage because the offensive player is in motion.
Overall, Burks has exciting burst to complement his excellent agility as a route runner, but his size and play strength are limiting factors against physical defensive backs. Burks has the chance to raise his draft stock at Oklahoma, but there’s likely a built-in ceiling because of his build.
Role & Scheme Fit: Slot receiver in an 11 personnel heavy scheme
Round Projection: Late Second to Mid Third
Size: 5'9", 189 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 03-28-24