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Former Arkansas wide receiver and current Tennessee Titans first-round pick Treylon Burks has had a rough go of it in the public eye since being drafted 18th overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Most of this criticism is no fault of his own, either. On draft night, the Titans traded star wide receiver AJ Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles for their first round pick, which they used to take Burks. This put an undue amount of pressure on Burks to perform right out of the gate.
When Burks arrived to OTAs, he missed practice time and was seen using an inhaler because he was dealing with asthma, according to Titans wide receivers coach Rob Moore.
Since getting to training camp, however, the mood has changed. Perhaps it has something to do with his performance on the field.
Rather than back down, Burks put his head and down and went to work, making these kinds of plays routine, and it is changing minds in Nashville.
The Associated Press reported a week ago that he has taken a stronger approach to his conditioning, and he has his asthma under control as well.
“That’s just being accountable,” Burks told the AP. “And I should’ve took a better attack on that, and now that I am, you can tell a big difference."
His former position coach at Arkansas, Justin Stepp, has seen his abilities before and was not surprised.
Turron Davenport of ESPN and NFL Nation has been covering Titans training camp this offseason.
Fellow Titans rookie Roger McCreary said Monday he likes going against Burks in drills.
Last season at Arkansas, Burks hauled in 66 receptions for 1,104 yards, finding the endzone 11 times. He also added 112 yards rushing on 14 attempts, scoring one touchdown.
He was the fourth wide receiver in Arkansas history to post a 1,000-yard season, the first since 2012 to do so.
There are just nine days left before the Titans face off against the Baltimore Ravens in their first preseason game, meaning there are just nine days left before Burks has the opportunity to show what he can do on the field against live competition.That game is slated to kick off at 6:30 p.m. on August 11 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore.
