DJ Burns Drawing NFL Interest, Per Reports

Football evaluators are reportedly fascinated by the NC State forward.

NC State v Duke / Lance King/GettyImages

DJ Burns has arguably been the biggest star of the 2024 NCAA tournament. He led NC State to its first Final Four berth in decades by beating Duke, which is a sure-fire way to win over most of the country. The 6-foot-9, 275-pound Burns became a sensation even before that win, though, thanks to his visibly jovial nature. The senior forward hasn't stopped grinning throughout NC State's tournament games. His aesthetically pleasing post game filled with shoulder fakes and gorgeous assists has helped as well. Apparently, the NFL has taken notice.

Burns been an absolute blast to watch and the big man's upcoming matchup with Zach Edey's Purdue team will capture the attention of the nation. There are a few days to go before tip-off, however, which means there is a lot of room for discussion about Burns outside his March Madness performances. On Monday, the primary talking point concerned Burns' potential as a football prospect. No, not a basketball prospect. A football prospect.

As the narrative goes, Burns is too slow to become an NBA player. He obviously has enough game on the low block to survive offensively but, while the big man is quick for his size, he is not actually all that fast. The increased pace of the pros would cut into his effectiveness quite a bit. Furthermore, Burns doesn't have the wingspan or vertical to compensate for that lack of foot speed, meaning he'd be at a great disadvantage defending the pick-and-roll and the rim.

That said, Burns' thick, square frame combined with his quick feet apparently has NFL evaluators wondering if he could play offensive tackle instead. The day after the big man helped secure his team's spot in the Final Four, Jim Nagy and Peter Schrager tweeted different variations of the same idea -- that Burns could draw real interest from professional football teams if he went that route.

On Monday, Schrager tweeted on X that he had spoken to to several scouts and general managers about Burns' potential as an offensive lineman, and the NC State center would get a "big turnout & potentially $ if he participated in a Pro Day/workout the week after the Final 4." Later in the day, Nagy tweeted he got "texts from a GM, Ass't GM, and college director ... NFL interest in D.J. Burns is a real thing."

This is an odd storyline because apparently a chunk of the audience is watching Burns put on a basketball clinic and wondering what would happen if he didn't play that sport. That doesn't feel right, but narratives take on lives of their own. This one won't go away until Burns declares for one draft or another.

Could Burns really play in the NFL? It sure feels unlikely. There have been numerous, famous examples of great NFL players who played basketball in college, à la Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez or Jimmy Graham. They are the exceptions rather than the rule, though. It is harder than we can appreciate to switch sports at that level.

Maybe Burns has a football future. Maybe not. The NC State center has much bigger problems in his immediate future in the form of the 7-foot-4 Edey and the powerhouse that is Purdue.

Liam McKeone is an editor at The Big Lead.