Deion Burks Prospect Profile
Background
Deion Burks grew up in Inkster, Michigan, and attended Belleville High School, where he was a two-sport athlete who also ran track. His mother, Dionne, after whom he was named, died of asthma complications when he was 13. Fueled by his grief, Burks excelled in high school football. He earned AP Division 1-2 All-Michigan honors as a junior with 35 catches for 819 yards and 12 touchdowns. He hoped the team he had grown up rooting for in Michigan would recruit him, but Jim Harbaugh's staff never gave him a look. So, on the four-year anniversary of his mother Dionne's death, he announced his commitment to Purdue on social media with the message: "Dear momma, I love you. This is for you." He redshirted at Purdue in 2021, rotated in 2022, then led the team with 47 catches for 629 yards and seven touchdowns in 2023 and was named to Bruce Feldman's Freaks List. After that breakout 2023 year, Burks entered the transfer portal and went to Norman to play for Oklahoma. An injury filled and tumultuous 2024 season, which included his father surviving a house fire, left him with no choice but to return in 2025. He came back in 2025, posted 58 catches for 617 yards and four touchdowns, had his first 100-yard game as a Sooner in a win over Michigan, earned a second Freaks List nod, and declared for the 2026 NFL Draft.
Physical Attributes
Deion Burks can fly. At just a Tinder 6'0" (just shy of 5'10") and 180 lbs, Burks ran a 4.30 40 yard dash at the combine and a blistering 1.49 10 yard split. That straight-line speed shows on tape, and he has an ability to carry it into routes with more rounded corners too. His speed on quicker cuts leaves something to be desired, but with the ball in his hands he is still one of the fastest players on the field. Burks also has incredible leaping ability, having the ability to go up and grab wayward passes, or dive out and catch them.
Data and Tape Analysis
If you are unfamiliar with my WR radar charts, you can find more information here
Let's start by looking at the radar chart. Yeah, pretty underwhelming. Though Burks was missing his starting QB for most of the year, and in the other part, the QB was playing with a broken hand, so what shall we find on the tape?
The tape looks the same, underwhelming. Though we are here to do a prospect profile, so we shall.
Like I said above, the man is fast. I believe it was the word written the most in my profile: fast. However, it looks like he has a hard time controlling that speed. When going full tilt, he looks more like a cruise ship trying to slow down than a 180 lb WR. The early signal his extra steps give DBs gives them a shot at coming back to make a play on the ball. His lack of strength then makes it quite difficult to box out the typically bigger DB going through his hands to force an incompletion.
When making more sudden breaks, there is wasted movement and tells all over. These do not appear on more rounded routes, where Burks looks his best. He can then use his speed to separate from chasing defenders. If the defender is not chasing and it is zone coverage, Burks struggles in finding where to settle.
He is out-muscled in press coverage, and can get thrown out of the club by bigger DBs. With a free release and the ball in his hands, he is a genuine threat. He has a quick one-cut that, combined with his speed, always wins him a few extra yards.
Grade and Outlook
Deion Burks looks like a perfectly reasonable late day two, early day three pick. He has speed, and can offer value in the return game or as a manufactured touch player and deep threat. Outside of that, his technique lets him down, and his physical attributes cannot make up for it.
Grade: 4.7 (Late 3rd Rounder / Early 4th Rounder)