Burks Is All Smiles at NFL Combnine

by Bo Marchionte
@bomarchionte | College2Pro.com
Published February 27, 2026, 3:19 PM

They don’t waste time in Pittsburgh on wide receivers who just run fast.

They put you on the board.

And when Deion Burks sat down for his informal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, that’s exactly what happened.

“It went great, man. Time to test me. Get me on the board a little bit too, as well. And it was great.”

Diagnose something. See how the kid thinks when the X moves and the safety rolls down late. See if he can adjust splits, identify leverage, explain sight adjustments. They weren’t just confirming a name on a scouting sheet. They were checking processing speed.

Because the tape already says explosive, crafty guy with some physicality for his size. 

Burks began at Purdue Boilermakers football, flashed in 2023 with 47 catches for 629 yards and seven touchdowns, then transferred to Oklahoma Sooners football where the production continued. Two years at Oklahoma: 88 catches, 865 yards, seven touchdowns. Career? 151 receptions, 1,669 yards, 14 touchdowns. Add in manufactured touches, jet motion, backfield usage. He’s touched it 169 times from scrimmage.

The concerns are the timed missed and his inability to maximize his skill set for the entirety of the season. 

He missed time in 2024 a grade two quad strain that cost him about six weeks. Came back against Missouri in Week 9. Then a concussion ended the season. That’s context, not excuse. He’s healthy now. “Oh yes, I am doing everything here,” he said when asked about working out.

And here’s where it gets interesting.

Wide receivers, by reputation, can tilt toward diva. Burks leans the other way.

“I would definitely say my ability to connect with my teammates. That’s something that’s very underrated about me. It’s not just always about me. I’m always going to talk to a person first, no matter who it is lineman, O lineman. I get along with a lot of guys in the locker room, and it’s naturally happened.”

That line travels well to Pittsburgh.

They’ve had enough talent at that position over the decades to know skill without substance fades fast. The Steelers want receivers who block on the perimeter, who understand spacing in the run game, who don’t fracture a locker room when the ball doesn’t find them in the first quarter.

Burks believes there’s no one like him in this draft.

“That pretty much it’s no player like me in this draft. And I honestly believe that. Pound for pound, one of the strongest athletes, fast and quick. A lot of players can be fast or one or the other. I’m both.”

Ask defensive backs what they’d say?

“He’s probably the most explosive player I ever went against,” said Burks smiling. 

Pittsburgh needs all the help they can at the position and more importantly with character.

Burks fits the bill.

Photo Credit Frank Hyatt/College2Pro.com