Former Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks is finally off the board.
Mocks leading up to the 2026 NFL Draft had predicted Burks to go as early as the second round and no later than the fifth, but he didn't hear his name called until the seventh and final round with the 254th overall pick, when his drastic fall finally ended thanks to the Indianapolis Colts drafting him. He was the 36th and last wide receiver taken in the draft despite ESPN ranking him at No. 17 at the position. He was also the seventh and final Sooner to be drafted.
Deion Burks gets chance to prove NFL Draft fall wrong
It's astonishing so many franchises were able to pass on Burks' incredible speed so many times, including the Colts seven times before finally taking him as their only receiver. Burks ran a 4.3-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, which was the fastest time ever clocked at the event by an OU player.
Burks' weaknesses on his NFL.com scouting profile, though, noted that his 40-time doesn't match his actual game speed. His short arms while listed at 5-foot-9 and lack of attacking balls thrown outside the numbers also knocked Burks as a prospect. Still, though, NFL.com labeled Burks as a good backup in the at the pro level with the potential to become a starter, which is a heck of a find that late in the draft.
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Last season as a senior, Burks caught 57 passes for 620 yards and four touchdowns. He had seven receptions and 107 yards with a TD in his final game in the College Football Playoff against Alabama. Burks started his career at Purdue, where he led the Boilermakers with 47 receptions, 629 yards and seven TDs in 2023 before transferring to OU. He then played only five games his first season as a Sooner because of two different injuries that sidelined him.
There have been enough flashes of Burks' talent between his college football career and showing at the NFL Combine to prove the seventh round was way too long for him to wait, but now the Colts get to benefit as Burks proves that.
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