I watched him in person at Arkansas and would beg to differ. Put Burks on Bama or Ohio State with Bryce Young or CJ Stroud throwing him the ball and then what are people saying? Exactly.
For me this sentence in Seth's article sums it all up: "However, once you get away from straight line acceleration (which again, isn’t terrible but isn’t great either), Burks has some questions as an athlete."
That is not good at all. NFL players need to have high end athleticism. You can't draft guys who only run straight line speed.
It all depends on how they win. You have to have a "this is how I win" in the NFL. Some receivers don't have elite athleticism, but they win with exceptional ball skills and savvy route running.
With Burks, it's a question of whether or not you believe the elite traits he have will outweigh his lack of agility AND whether you believe the flashes he's shown of route running savvy will lead to doing it consistency.
I'm just here to say I appreciate Mark's well reasoned, thoughtful, polite responses to people in the thread below. I don't know about Burks, I think I would want to Chiefs to go in a different direction due to a lack of athleticism. But that could just be my Sylvester Morris experience coming through. In any event, just appreciate the civil discourse.
I would love for you to look back at some of the players you have profiled in past years and see how they panned out. Where were you on target and where did you miss the mark. Are there some 'dodged the bullet' players or 'will always wish..." guys
if he isn’t fast enough in college, then he’s gonna look like he’s running in sand in the NFL. Maybe playing in the SEC will help with that, but we’ve seen how well we’ve been able to use those other high level tools when they don’t have the requisite speed w/ CEH. That combined w/ the limited route tree has bust written all over it if he goes as high as the hype. Either way he definitely doesn’t fit our offense. Give me a good route runner over 6’ w/ some speed
But on tape he was fast enough in college. Just not super quick. The Alabama clip above he just flat out runs away from everyone. That doesn’t mean he is fast enough for the pros. But he was definitely fast enough in college. Lots were surprised by his 40 at the combine because they thought he would run faster. I don’t think he thought he could run faster because he didn’t run the 40 at Arkansas’ pro day.
I would find it surprising if we drafted him because of his lack of agility/get off and lack of route tree that you mentioned. Like, Hardman is barely our 3rd WR because he can't run routes well enough, so I'd find it hard to believe we would go for a slower/bigger version of that, but maybe he'll surprise us and be the next Ja'Marr Chase? Though Chase was much quicker coming out of college
Yea Chase is a completely different player. If you want a Chase, we’ll need to roll a bunch of these picks over to next year and get inside the top 10 for JSN out of Ohio State. He might be an even better prospect than Chase was
One never knows what sort of commitments people have. I didn't see him there, but I don't read too much into such things. Could be he had a family thing, a prior commitment, etc.
Come on...what kind of internet sleuth are you?? Seriously all valid points. The knock on him has been lack of consistency and not putting in the off season work.
I know that's where people come down on him, but I'm not sure how much we really know that other than inferring it from development. Of course, lack of development IS an indicator of not putting in the work, to be sure. So... yeah, I'm just a bad internet sleuth haha.
Jason Anderson today said that he recently interviewed Mecole and asked if he was going to work out with Patrick. Mecole answered, “ That’s what OTAs are for.” We may have our answer and a poor one at that.
I would love Burks with one of our 2nd round picks but agree that he is a big reach even at the end of the first. While he definitely has bust potential, I also see his upside as a bigger, even more physical Dwayne Bowe.
It's worth noting that what I'd spend on him would be dependent on how other receivers look. If there are multiple guys I love, then he drops in value for me. But he definitely has potential as a physical receiver.
That write up worries me, particularly the athleticism. He completes the total change in the WR room to big dudes, but that he would be the long term lynch pin of the room…..IDK.
I'm an Arkansas fan, so I'm glad I get to hear from someone without any kind of a bias. Seems like you either love him or hate him. Watching Arkansas games, I would dream of him lining up opposite of Hill in this offense and get excited about the possibilities, but even with Hill gone, I still wouldn't mind seeing him in KC. One of the big reasons is something you said in the article. He's a very, very different type of player than we have had in a long time. Closer to a D. Bowe type, but in my mind I always thought of him more like Anquan Boldin. Just a big, strong, mauler type that didn't have to have a step for the QB to throw to. And when Mahomes is in trouble fast, or the play breaks down, he'd be the type of guy that you just throw in his direction and let him fight for it. Can't wait to read the upcoming breakdowns on the other wideouts!
Burks is a beast ! you try to tackle him, just get him the ball and let him beat up corners and safeties all day long. we will be laughing are asses off.
Hard pass. Given how this team suffered from dropped passses that resulted in INTs, I don't want a guy who is always going to be the 'contested catch guy'. This draft is deep enough at WR for us not have to draft Burks. Honestly, I'd rather go slot WR (small, shifty) or even TE (even in a 'meh' TE draft), heck Edge, CB, etc... would all come well before I would take Burks. And remember, its not like he's going to go against WORSE DBs in the NFL than what he had trouble seperating from in college.
It's interesting to me that you'd want to go with a slot guy given JuJu and Kelce's skillset. Totally understand hesitation on a contested catch guy though.
Only because neither of those guys are quick, jitterbug speedy types. It'd be nice to have some of at the slot with Tyreek gone. I also think you can still do well with having JuJu on the outside, Hardman/MVS on the opposite side, use Kelce like you have been and have that quick slot guy. Lots of different styles on the field.
I don't really like JuJu on the outside, he wins at a higher rate from the slot on shorter routes from what I saw.
I like the idea of the "jitterbug" slot guy in theory, but in practice you're seeing more and more of a need to win vertically there as well. So it's become more of a complete receiver position than ever before it seems!
Darn you and your football knowledge and logic! Cant we just pretend it's still the 90's and let Pat make throws to slot guys running free off pick plays all day!?!
I know what you mean. There is just no getting around the fact that we need a true WR1. What pains me is there might be 1 or 2 in this draft, we wont be able to get one of them cuz its going to cost too much and we have too many holes on the roster AND we just got rid of one of the best WR1s in the game causing us to have a massive hole where one didnt previously exist. ***breathe, Its only April***
Burks’ lack of athleticism is a huge red flag for me. He might be fine as a complement to Hill and Kelce but I don’t see him as a WR1 in the Chiefs’ style of offense. I expect he’ll be gone by pick 62, which is as high as I would consider taking him.
Quite true.
Burks is a flat No for me.
So say he goes to the Bills in front of us. You feel good about that?
Absolutely. He has bust written all over him. He is not an NFL talent IMO
I watched him in person at Arkansas and would beg to differ. Put Burks on Bama or Ohio State with Bryce Young or CJ Stroud throwing him the ball and then what are people saying? Exactly.
Agree to disagree. IMO he’s not an NFL talent and will be out of the league in 3 years
Burks looked like Deandre Hopkins against Mizzou the past 2 seasons.
Seems like a lot rides on how he fares against corners against whom he doesn't have a size advantage.
For me this sentence in Seth's article sums it all up: "However, once you get away from straight line acceleration (which again, isn’t terrible but isn’t great either), Burks has some questions as an athlete."
That is not good at all. NFL players need to have high end athleticism. You can't draft guys who only run straight line speed.
If you think WR is all about athleticism then you’d also be the guy who passed on Jerry Rice
It all depends on how they win. You have to have a "this is how I win" in the NFL. Some receivers don't have elite athleticism, but they win with exceptional ball skills and savvy route running.
With Burks, it's a question of whether or not you believe the elite traits he have will outweigh his lack of agility AND whether you believe the flashes he's shown of route running savvy will lead to doing it consistency.
That's Mizzou though, so, you know. And I say that as someone who roots for MU.
I'm just here to say I appreciate Mark's well reasoned, thoughtful, polite responses to people in the thread below. I don't know about Burks, I think I would want to Chiefs to go in a different direction due to a lack of athleticism. But that could just be my Sylvester Morris experience coming through. In any event, just appreciate the civil discourse.
Ditto.
as a die hard hog fan, I agree with all you posted! I just wish you would've let the clip of the long TD against Bama go until the end! :D
hahaha sorry!
Would definitely like Burks as a 2nd round prospect. The athleticism scares me a bit. Great job seth. Looking forward to more wr analysis
Excited to write about them!
That backend stuff is a little Pringlesque... nice job as always, Seth.
Appreciate you reading!
I would love for you to look back at some of the players you have profiled in past years and see how they panned out. Where were you on target and where did you miss the mark. Are there some 'dodged the bullet' players or 'will always wish..." guys
I never miss though! :)
😆😅🤣😂
if he isn’t fast enough in college, then he’s gonna look like he’s running in sand in the NFL. Maybe playing in the SEC will help with that, but we’ve seen how well we’ve been able to use those other high level tools when they don’t have the requisite speed w/ CEH. That combined w/ the limited route tree has bust written all over it if he goes as high as the hype. Either way he definitely doesn’t fit our offense. Give me a good route runner over 6’ w/ some speed
But on tape he was fast enough in college. Just not super quick. The Alabama clip above he just flat out runs away from everyone. That doesn’t mean he is fast enough for the pros. But he was definitely fast enough in college. Lots were surprised by his 40 at the combine because they thought he would run faster. I don’t think he thought he could run faster because he didn’t run the 40 at Arkansas’ pro day.
Having said that, I’m not convinced he will be good in the pros.
He's got the speed, not the agility. Basically bizzaro CEH.
I’m starting to come around on him a bit now that I saw he likes to hunt wild boar with a knife in his free time haha. Jared Allen vibes
haha that's definitely a plus!
I would find it surprising if we drafted him because of his lack of agility/get off and lack of route tree that you mentioned. Like, Hardman is barely our 3rd WR because he can't run routes well enough, so I'd find it hard to believe we would go for a slower/bigger version of that, but maybe he'll surprise us and be the next Ja'Marr Chase? Though Chase was much quicker coming out of college
Yea Chase is a completely different player. If you want a Chase, we’ll need to roll a bunch of these picks over to next year and get inside the top 10 for JSN out of Ohio State. He might be an even better prospect than Chase was
Yeah, I don't really see him as a Reid guy. And Chase is a place you WANT to go but is such a better athlete overall.
Hardman question. Does anybody know if he attended the Mahomes and receivers weekend? Lots of posts and IG stories but he appeared MIA. Strange.
One never knows what sort of commitments people have. I didn't see him there, but I don't read too much into such things. Could be he had a family thing, a prior commitment, etc.
Come on...what kind of internet sleuth are you?? Seriously all valid points. The knock on him has been lack of consistency and not putting in the off season work.
I know that's where people come down on him, but I'm not sure how much we really know that other than inferring it from development. Of course, lack of development IS an indicator of not putting in the work, to be sure. So... yeah, I'm just a bad internet sleuth haha.
Jason Anderson today said that he recently interviewed Mecole and asked if he was going to work out with Patrick. Mecole answered, “ That’s what OTAs are for.” We may have our answer and a poor one at that.
Phew, that's a rough answer and one Mecole shouldn't have given, even if it is how he feels.
I like Chris Olave, are you going to do him?
I am! Maybe I'll do him next. I know London is up for sure.
Please pencil in Christian Watson if possible.
I would love Burks with one of our 2nd round picks but agree that he is a big reach even at the end of the first. While he definitely has bust potential, I also see his upside as a bigger, even more physical Dwayne Bowe.
It's worth noting that what I'd spend on him would be dependent on how other receivers look. If there are multiple guys I love, then he drops in value for me. But he definitely has potential as a physical receiver.
Are you going to profile Chris Olave? I like him
I am!
That write up worries me, particularly the athleticism. He completes the total change in the WR room to big dudes, but that he would be the long term lynch pin of the room…..IDK.
I completely agree with that assessment. He's a definite risk.
I'm an Arkansas fan, so I'm glad I get to hear from someone without any kind of a bias. Seems like you either love him or hate him. Watching Arkansas games, I would dream of him lining up opposite of Hill in this offense and get excited about the possibilities, but even with Hill gone, I still wouldn't mind seeing him in KC. One of the big reasons is something you said in the article. He's a very, very different type of player than we have had in a long time. Closer to a D. Bowe type, but in my mind I always thought of him more like Anquan Boldin. Just a big, strong, mauler type that didn't have to have a step for the QB to throw to. And when Mahomes is in trouble fast, or the play breaks down, he'd be the type of guy that you just throw in his direction and let him fight for it. Can't wait to read the upcoming breakdowns on the other wideouts!
Drake London is now up, and phew!
Getting ready to start that now!
Burks is a beast ! you try to tackle him, just get him the ball and let him beat up corners and safeties all day long. we will be laughing are asses off.
Hard pass. Given how this team suffered from dropped passses that resulted in INTs, I don't want a guy who is always going to be the 'contested catch guy'. This draft is deep enough at WR for us not have to draft Burks. Honestly, I'd rather go slot WR (small, shifty) or even TE (even in a 'meh' TE draft), heck Edge, CB, etc... would all come well before I would take Burks. And remember, its not like he's going to go against WORSE DBs in the NFL than what he had trouble seperating from in college.
It's interesting to me that you'd want to go with a slot guy given JuJu and Kelce's skillset. Totally understand hesitation on a contested catch guy though.
Only because neither of those guys are quick, jitterbug speedy types. It'd be nice to have some of at the slot with Tyreek gone. I also think you can still do well with having JuJu on the outside, Hardman/MVS on the opposite side, use Kelce like you have been and have that quick slot guy. Lots of different styles on the field.
I don't really like JuJu on the outside, he wins at a higher rate from the slot on shorter routes from what I saw.
I like the idea of the "jitterbug" slot guy in theory, but in practice you're seeing more and more of a need to win vertically there as well. So it's become more of a complete receiver position than ever before it seems!
Darn you and your football knowledge and logic! Cant we just pretend it's still the 90's and let Pat make throws to slot guys running free off pick plays all day!?!
I know what you mean. There is just no getting around the fact that we need a true WR1. What pains me is there might be 1 or 2 in this draft, we wont be able to get one of them cuz its going to cost too much and we have too many holes on the roster AND we just got rid of one of the best WR1s in the game causing us to have a massive hole where one didnt previously exist. ***breathe, Its only April***
hahahaha I love that idea! And tbh, I love the idea of more pick plays.
And for sure, right now they don't have a number 1 receiver (obviously Kelce is a great number 1 receiver, BUT we know what we mean!).
Burks’ lack of athleticism is a huge red flag for me. He might be fine as a complement to Hill and Kelce but I don’t see him as a WR1 in the Chiefs’ style of offense. I expect he’ll be gone by pick 62, which is as high as I would consider taking him.
I think you're correct on all counts there.