Detroit Lions: Treylon Burks might be the most Campbell-like prospect

Treylon Burks appears to be the most Dan Campbell-like prospect in the 2022 NFL Draft, but I don’t expect the Detroit Lions to be in a position to select the talented Arkansas star without jostling draft positions.

During his pre-NFL Combine interview, the Razorback receiver mentioned that he hunts wild boars with a knife in his spare time.

Dan Campbell enters the chat.

If you recall, during Campbell’s inaugural press conference upon being named the head coach of the Detroit Lions, which you likely don’t because we had been fixated on the whole ‘biting kneecap’ thing, Campbell grew up on a cattle farm.  Campbell is looking for lunch pail-like players, players that will put it all on the line each and every play.  Early on, it appears Burks fits the bill.

Burks, a 6-foot-3 outside deep-threat, playmaking receiver, is exactly what the Detroit Lions will pursue this offseason.

I am not inventing the wheel here when I tell you that hands are vital when it comes to catching a football. And don’t forget, this is the time of year many of us focus on ‘hand size’ whether we are mocking the measurement or are very serious about it.  If you are the latter, pay attention to this one.  Burks mentioned Wednesday that Nike designs him custom gloves that are a whopping size XXXL.  Burks said that he used to wear double-XL, but his fingers continued to burst through the ends of the gloves.

As described in this article, Burks eventually mentioned that he models his game around Deebo Samuel, but others compare him to A.J. Brown due to his style of play.

"“I’ve watched a lot of Deebo Samuel,” Burks said, “just the way he plays running back, inside, outside. That’s who I try to mimic game after.”"

Finally, Burks also mentioned that he hopes to play around 225-228 pounds, stating that’s the ‘sweet spot’ where he can play a physical style, and his speed won’t suffer.

If you rewind about six weeks or so, Burks had been one of the receiver candidates to be selected by the Detroit Lions with their second first-round selection.  We can safely eliminate that notion as Burks continues to rise on mock draft boards leaving the Detroit Lions to get a bit creative if they hope to secure the star receiver.

The Detroit Lions can elect to trade back from the no. 2 overall selection, in turn, adding additional draft capital but still remaining somewhere between no. 8 and 15.  But, if the Lions made a deal as I suggest, knowing how deep the receiver position is this year, I’d expect the target to be someone like Devin Lloyd, Nakobe Dean, Jordan Davis, or George Karlaftis.

That leaves another option.  The Detroit Lions could decide to pair up picks no 32 and 34 and move up into the teens or early 20s if they see Burks remains available.  In this scenario, the Lions will, in all likelihood, have selected their first choice at no. 2 and get their guy at the receiver position if that is the route they choose.

Burks totaled 1,104 yards on 66 receptions totaling 11 receiving touchdowns this past season.  He’s averaged over 16 yards per reception in each of his three college seasons.

Burks may not be ‘their’ guy, but if he is, the Lions will need to be creative to secure his services because he likely won’t be available when they’re on the clock with the no. 32 overall pick.