Colts Scouts Take: Oklahoma Wide Receiver Deion Burks
- Burks ran a blazing 4.3 40-yard dash, one of the fastest WR times.
- Despite his smaller frame, Burks showed impressive strength with 26 bench press reps.
- Colts believe Burks can be more than just a slot receiver due to his speed and physicality.
INDIANAPOLIS – The Colts had Deion Burks ranked much higher than the 254th player in the 2026 NFL Draft.
And there are many in the NFL community that were curious why Burks lasted all the way into one of the final picks.
Perhaps a little question about height? Medical questions?
“Why he was there?” Chris Ballard asks rhetorically. “I don’t know. Fortunate for us.
“He’s fast, he’s explosive. We think he’s got a real chance to help us. And we’ll try to get him worked in the return game too, even though he hasn’t done a lot of it, we think he’s got upside as a returner.”
At 5-10 and 180 pounds, Burks ran a 4.3 40-yard dash at the Combine, one of the fastest of any wide receiver.
While the departure of Michael Pittman Jr. at receiver has left a void more in the physicality department, Burks’ strength is in his quickness.
“The first thing is speed. He’s a 4.2 guy and that’s what you want. You want to create explosive plays, get the ball in this guy’s hands any way you can. Like Chris (Ballard), just then in the return game. If he can help us in the return game too, that’ll be very beneficial for us.”
Burks definitely has a ways to go in the return game before the Colts have the trust in him for what is a really valuable spot on a roster.
During the scouting process, the Colts actually thought Burks played a little bit bigger than a frame you usually almost only see in slot receivers.
“Not your typical size that you want (outside), but I think this kid, pound for pound, his play strength and how put together he is, I think he should not be exclusively labeled as a slot receiver,” Colts Southwest Area Scout Mike Lacy says. “I think he has the speed to kind of threaten vertically, no matter where you line him up on the field. And in some situations, again, that play strength, catching through contact or getting outside the numbers, I think he can do more than just play inside.”
During the Combine, Burks had 26 bench-press reps, which was tied for the most of any wide receiver.
Lacy on Burks’ 26 bench-press reps at the combine, tied with New Orleans Saints first-round pick Jordyn Tyson for the most among receivers this year:
“At his size, pound for pound, this kid is very, very strong, very explosive,” Lacy adds. “You can feel it when he’s coming off the ball and again, you can feel it when he’s running through contact. I think that bench press (total) is consistent with what we kind of saw on film.”
