Whether he wanted the comparison or not, Tennessee Titans rookie wide receiver will always be compared to A.J. Brown.
As we all know by now, the two wideouts will forever be connected to the 2022 NFL draft, when the Titans decided to move on from Brown and use one of the draft picks they acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles to take Burks.
As the team’s rookie minicamp unfolded, Burks’ participation was limited due to conditioning and asthma-related issues. Thankfully, he was able to right the ship during training camp, putting the issue to bed.
Regardless, expecting Burks to come in and replicate Brown’s production in his first year was unrealistic.
The Arkansas product played in 11 games, including six starts, hauling in 33 receptions on 54 targets for 444 yards and a score.
Heading into Year 2, there’s plenty of optimism surrounding Burks. As such, Pro Football Focus‘ Sam Monson identified the Titans wideout as a potential breakout player in his second year.
Too much was asked of Burks as a rookie. With A.J. Brown traded away and Burks owning a comparable physical profile, many expected him to step in and seamlessly replace one of the best receivers in the game. Given the college system Burks was coming from, that was always unlikely, but he did flash plenty of big-play ability. He averaged only 1.75 yards per route run, but he averaged 5.4 yards after the catch and caught 58% of his contested targets. With a better situation and a healthy year in 2023, Burks could start to resemble Brown a little more.
As Monson notes, Burks also missed time during the season, sidelined for most of October and a two-week stretch in December with injuries.
When healthy, the young wide receiver proved why he was such a hot commodity in the first round.
Burks hauled in a season-high 111 yards on seven catches in the Titans’ 27-17 win at Lambeau Field against the Green Bay Packers, which was his best game of the season.
Oddly enough, his only touchdown of the year came in Tennessee’s matchup against Brown and the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 12, when he recovered a Derrick Henry fumble for six.
