After the Tennessee Titans traded away AJ Brown to the Eagles, many Titans fans are eager to see Brown’s replacement, Treylon Burks. Burks has an impressive highlight reel from his time in college. He also appears to be making plays in thus far in fall camp. Will Burks be able to replace Brown and become a quality No. 1 receiver for the Titans?
Treylon Burks Physical Profile
Treylon Burks stands at 6’3 and 225 lbs. At 6’3, Burks is taller than Brown who’s around 6’0 1/2. He also possesses a slightly longer hand span than Brown by around 1/8 of an inch.
However, Brown has the edge when it comes to speed, clocking in a 4.49 40-yard dash compared to Burks’ 4.55. He also has a higher vertical jump at 36.5 inches versus Burks’ 33 inches.
Treylon Burks playing style
Burks and Brown have similar measurables, and their play styles do have some similarities. However, they also differ in important ways.
Similar to Brown, Burks is adept at setting up his DBs so that he can get leverage on them inside, outside, or on his back. Both receivers do a good job of keeping corners off balance through a variety of releases and head nods. Both players can also play in the slot or on the outside.
However, Burks is better than Brown at making contested catches and contorting his body towards the ball. His large hands allow him to cup the ball and gain a better grip than the average receiver. His body also provides a larger target window for QBs to throw into than Brown’s.
Compared to Brown, Burks is also good at maintaining his speed during his cuts and appears to be more of a vertical threat.
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But there are several important functions Brown performs better than Burks at. First, Brown is able to make sharper cuts than Burks, which gives him more separation on routes out of the slot. Brown has greater acceleration than Burks too. This means he’s better equipped at running longer developing routes.
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While Brown and Burks are both great after the catch, Brown oftentimes shows greater balance and won’t get tripped up as easily. Brown also seeks contact with defensive backs at the point of contact, and plays a much more physical style. While Burks has shown flashes of this at Arkansas, he doesn’t do this nearly enough considering the physical tools at his disposal.
Overall, if Burks is able to become a bit more polished and become closer to the route runner AJ is, then he will be an All-Pro level player in the league.
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