Cowboys 30 visits scouting report: Arkansas WR Treylon Burks

The Dallas Cowboys pre-draft 30 visits have been a good indicator of the direction they’ll go in April, and so far two of the five confirmed visits are wide receivers. The team needs to explore all avenues to address the pass offense now that they are without Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. James Washington is Dallas’ only outside signing at receiver, but Arkansas’ Treylon Burks was their first reported 30 pre-draft visit.

Burks averaged over 16 yards a catch in three seasons with the Razorbacks, going over 1,000 yards with 11 touchdowns this year. Catching more than five passes in a game just nine times in his career, Burks’ best plays come off-script, but he has the long speed to make a game changing play on any reception.

WR Treylon Burks: Strengths

Burks’ Combine testing backed up his tape, but does little to show his best traits as a contested pass catcher. Easily snagging the ball at the highpoint with incredibly soft hands, Burks uses his large frame to box out defenders at the catch point.

What Burks lacks in lower body flexibility, he makes up for with shoulder strength and fluidity to create space. With the ball in his hands, Burks gets up the field quickly and doesn’t take long to reach his peak speed. His 40-yard dash time of 4.55 paired with a 7.28 second three cone was disappointing, but Arkansas still used Burks as their gadget player out of the backfield and on screen passes.

A willing run blocker that isn’t afraid to throw his body around or run routes over the middle, Burks is a physical receiver with great run after the catch ability.

WR Treylon Burks: Weaknesses

Burks’ lack of suddenness allows defenders to stick to him in coverage easily. This is a receiver that does little to win off the line of scrimmage, without the quick footwork to sell inside routes.

Burks is also not a very crisp route runner, taking wide angles that allows coverage to draw closer. While his arm length of 33.5 inches is a plus, Burks’ hand strength to punch and create separation is below average.

WR Treylon Burks: Summary

Burks is far from the Cowboys potential replacement to Amari Cooper, but he can fill other roles. With CeeDee Lamb stepping into the WR1 spot and Gallup expected to take on a bigger role, the Cowboys are in need of a receiver to make the unscripted plays.

Uncovering late in a play, winning on scramble drills, and coming down with passes in coverage are all strengths of Michael Gallup’s that the Cowboys could complement similarly with Burks. With Lamb, Gallup, and Washington, the Cowboys wouldn’t have to ask too much of Burks in year one, but could immediately see the benefit of creating more explosive plays on short to intermediate passes.

Not projected to make it anywhere near the Cowboys second-round pick, Burks would have to be the best prospect remaining for Dallas at 24th overall. While this feels like a bit of a stretch, there’s no denying that Burks’ next team is getting a raw playmaker with very high upside.