Burks' Rookie Year: Bumps, Bruises and Big Jumps

Injuries have slowed the first-round draft pick's progress at multiple points of his rookie season in the NFL.
George Walker IV / USA Today Sports
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NASHVILLE – Treylon Burks’ addition to the Tennessee Titans’ injury report on Wednesday may or may not prove significant as the team readies for Saturday’s showdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

But the groin strain that kept the rookie wide receiver from being a full practice participant was the latest example of the limitations that have been a significant part of his first NFL season.

As impressive as the first-round pick has looked on many occasions – including last Thursday against Dallas – any evaluation of his first year also has to include the amount of time Burks has been unavailable for practice or games, and thus unable to earn valuable on-field experience.

Instead of a smooth trajectory of improvement over the course of the season, Burks’ progress has come more in fits and starts, bursts of production followed by weeks of recovery and learning.

Heading into the regular-season finale, Burks is tied for second among NFL rookie wide receivers at 14.7 yards per reception (trailing only Pittsburgh’s George Pickens) and fifth in average yards per game (42.5).

But in part, because he’s played only 10 games, Burks ranks ninth among rookie wide receivers with 29 receptions and tied for ninth with 425 receiving yards.

“It’s been a process,” offensive coordinator Todd Downing said of Burks’ progress. “There’s been challenges to Treylon’s kind of back-and-forth availability, and I think that (wide receivers coach) Rob Moore has worked very hard to try to help him kind of understand the nuances of this offense, and some of the challenges of the position at this level, some things technique-wise that he wasn’t really able to work on too much, whether it be the early part of his development – pre-season – and then when he was unavailable for a little while during the season.

“So that’s been a journey for him, but I think he’s worked very hard and I think he understands the work that it’s going to take to get where he wants to get. Very competitive guy and I believe he’s on the right trajectory.”

It can be difficult sometimes if you can’t put the actual work in

Burks, the 18th overall pick last April, really appeared to hit his stride in Week 11 against Green Bay when he posted career bests of seven catches and 111 yards – totals that included 51 and 43-yard receptions. One week later against Cincinnati, Burks caught a 51-yard pass as part of a four-reception, 70-yard afternoon.

He followed that performance with an amazing touchdown catch against Philadelphia, somehow holding onto Ryan Tannehill’s 25-yard pass despite a massive – and illegal – hit by Eagles defensive back Miles Epps.

Burks missed two games because of the resultant concussion, after previously missing four weeks due to turf toe.

The two injuries were no fault of Burks, but his absences were compounded by the fact that he missed so much of the offseason because of asthma and poor conditioning.

“It makes it hard as a young player when you’re not on the field to work on the fundamental things,” Moore said. “So he has to rely on just natural ability and recall he has from the things he’s done.

“I think he’s done a good job of going out week to week and being prepared in terms of knowing the gameplan and trying to do some of those things. We’re definitely a better team with him on the field. Because he gives us an explosive element that we don’t have without him in there.”

Part of Moore’s job has been to help Burks continue to learn and grow, whether the former Arkansas star is on the field or not.

“A lot of that is through film study,” Moore said. “He’s obviously a player who can see it on tape and kind of emulate it, take it to the field. But there’s nothing like repetitions. He’s done a great job of what he’s been able to do. But like I said, it can be difficult sometimes if you can’t actually put the actual work in.”

Corrections don’t mean that you’re always wrong

The relationship between Moore and Burks sounds as if it’s gone through stages this season.

Moore played 10 years in the NFL and earned two trips to the Pro Bowl. He’s been coaching NFL wide receivers for a decade.

Burks, 22, is just one year removed from a standout college career, one in which he may not have received much in the way of constructive criticism.

What, Burks was asked, are among the most important things he’s learned this season?

“Just knowing that corrections don’t mean that you’re always wrong,” Burks said. “It’s just always to help better whichever route or detail needs to be better.

“I would just say don’t take everything to heart about it. You’re going to get corrected about things that you may feel like you already know. But just listen and just (get) better.”

Moore said his advice to Burks has been to respond to criticism with correction.

“He’s learned to do that,” Moore said. “He’s still a little bit sensitive. But I think most athletes are.

“The thing I’ve learned about as his coach is it’s more about the delivery than really the message. So I’ve gotten better at that. And he’s also matured a lot. He’s gotten a lot better about responding to it, so I think it’s been a two-way street.”

We just have to make sure some of the little details and overall understanding is good

Burks’ talent – and his status as a work-in-progress in some aspects of the game – were on display during the Titans’ loss to Dallas.

Near the end of the first half, Burks made a great play, miraculously staying in bounds after a short reception at the right sideline, then turning upfield and gaining 30 yards. But in battling for yardage at the end of the run, Burks almost allowed the first half to run out with the Titans getting a field-goal opportunity. When he went down, Titans coach Mike Vrabel immediately signaled for a time-out with two seconds remaining.

“We just have to be careful and understand that was a situation that we had talked about in training camp that comes up when you're in that field-goal situation,” Vrabel said. “You're either going to have to score, get out of bounds, or get down for me to be able to call time out.

“It is just (Burks) wanting to go make a play and get as many yards. He is programmed to catch the football, try to be physical and break tackles. Those are all really positive things. We just have to make sure that some of the little details and overall understanding is good.”

Vrabel’s review of that one play is similar to his analysis of Burks’ overall game at present. He loves the X-plays, the physicality, the contested receptions and the yards after the catch. What he also wants to see is more attention to detail.

“We have to make sure that when things are going fast or fatigue sets in – we all want him to play as much as possible -- that we are doing the right things that we are being asked to do within the play, that we are lining up where we need to line up and just a lot of those things as the volume starts to start to increase,” Vrabel said.

The hope, of course, is that the more time Burks is able to spend on the field in the future – whether that’s practice or games – the more his education will increase, and the more his talent will show itself.

In the meantime, Burks says he is simply enjoying his rookie season as the big regular-season finale awaits.

“Things have gone great,” Burks said. “Like I always say, just keep playing football and give everything else to God. Just have fun with it.”


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