The Treylon Burks saga of struggles continues as year three is underway for the first round pick at wide receiver who was supposed to replace AJ Brown. Through two games this season he has just three targets for one catch that went for two yards against the Bears in Week 1. And despite his decreased role with the Titans this season, he's still catching shade from top NFL evaluators.
In fact, Matt Waldman, one of the top NFL Draft analysts in the entire sport, couldn't help himself on Sunday. He had to call out the exact prominent issue that has plagued Treylon Burks since college that led to a critical Will Levis turnover against the Jets.
When it comes to contested situations, Burks still struggles to position himself well to take advantage of some of the very physical measurables that should set him apart against most defensive backs. Matt Waldman broke this issue down in detail as Burks' failure to position his hands correctly on his only target of the day inevitably cost the Titans a shot at victory on Sunday.
"In contested situations...he goes up to catch the ball [with] his hands wide apart. He should be attacking with overhand position extending to the earliest [catch] point...using his strength, his length, and his height...He didn't know how to do this at Arkansas. He doesn't know how to do this at Tennessee."
That part about him not knowing "how" to do this in college isn't exactly true, because at times throughout Treylon Burks' college career he would use the full extent of his frame, leap up, and high point beautifully. In fact, there are two great examples that come to mind in this regard.
First, this perfect deep post route and leaping catch against Auburn. Treylon Burks saw a free release from the slot against outside leverage from the defensive back, which is the perfect setup for a score against his particular route on this play. Burks jumped as high as he could at full sprint, used proper overhand positioning, and hauled in the impressive contested catch.
And then of course one of the most memorable games from Burks' career actually came against Ole Miss where he demonstrated incredible contested catch ability, this time on back to back plays on the same drive.
No separation. Just trust from his quarterback that he would go up and grab it. Both times he boxed out the defender using similar technique and snagged the reception for monstrous gains (as you can see below).
It's not that Treylon Burks doesn't know "how" to do this. It's just that like many other things with him since his college days, he doesn't consistently execute utilizing the proper technique. If there was more consistency from Burks on this (and a few other aspects of his game) he would very likely currently be enjoying an incredibly successful NFL career. Instead, at this point Burks just looks like he plays nervous, forgetting how to pull off even the littlest things like proper hand technique and fails in spectacular fashion.
If Burks can ever consistently get out of his own head and execute on the field to the highest of his abilities on an every-down basis he could become an excellent starting NFL wide receiver. However, at this point, three seasons in, it doesn't seem like it's every going to fully click for Treylon Burks with the Titans.
