Indianapolis Colts 2026 Rookie With Most to Prove at OTAs

The Indianapolis Colts' 2026 Draft Class was viewed as one of the best classes of the cycle in terms of overall value, but none of their draft selections spoke more to this than their 7th-round pick of Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks.

Burks was the 96th-overall player on the Consensus Big Board, a ranking system that takes every draft analyst's Big Board into the equation, and averages out the grades in question to determine value based on the draft range.

Regardless of his Top-100 consideration, Burks fell late into the draft and was almost undrafted until the Colts scooped him up with the 254th-overall pick.

“Yeah, I'd be lying if I say it wasn't frustrating. It definitely was. Honestly, because I put work in. I'm a competitor, so of course, I'm going to have that edge to me," Burks explained his post-draft frustrations. "But however man, I'm definitely where I'm supposed to be. I'm still blessed. I'm here at this position right now. So, it’s definitely a great thing that came out of it.”

Burks sported an unconventional draft profile as a 5'10", 180-pound receiver without much special teams upside, but his size does not speak to the type of player he is. Burks plays much bigger than he is, and has a natural feel on the outside that receivers his size don't typically have.

"Not like your typical size that you want out there, but I think this kid pound-for-pound, his play strength and just how well put together he is," said Colts' scout Mike Lacy.

"I think he should not be exclusively labeled a slot receiver. I think he has the speed to kind of threaten vertically, no matter where you line him up on the field. And then, in some situations again, that play strength, catches through contact, or if he's outside the numbers, I think he can do more than just play inside, in my opinion."

The scouts and coaching staff were on the same page when it comes to the curious case of Deion Burks. Head coach Shane Steichen was asked about what he covets at wide receiver ahead of the NFL Draft, to which he explained the difference in playstyles and types of players.

“That's a great question. I think separation at the top of routes is big for me. Can they win one-on-one on the outside? Obviously, they’ve got to have great hands and then depending on their skillset, their body type – are they a slot receiver? Are they an outside receiver? Do they have a feel for zone coverage? If you're in the slot on option routes, whether it be that – the bigger body type guys, being physical at the top of routes is huge for me and the separation is big, and the explosive ability," Steichen explained.

"When some of these guys – you look at some of these guys coming out in the draft, the ability to catch and get YAC after the catch. Whether it's a shallow route or catching a slant and then (the) explosive ability to go create that YAC is huge because that's how you score points and that's how you become explosive.”

Ironically enough, this explanation from Steichen has a little bit of everything that Burks brings to the table, which bodes well for his position battle throughout his first summer in the league.

Burks hauled in 58 of his 86 targets in his last season, totaling 617 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Almost half of his receiving yards (304) came after the catch, which proves that he can fill the void that Michael Pittman Jr. left as an in-breaking savant who looks for additional yardage any way he can.

General manager Chris Ballard mentioned following his selection that Burks will compete for the opening WR2 role opposite Alec Pierce, but it won't be easy, as veterans Ashton Dulin, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, and even some run from Josh Downs will also be in contention for said role.

Deion Burks is grateful for the opportunity at hand, but is also looking to prove his doubters wrong in the process. Thankfully for him, he has not only been afforded a chance to make an active roster as a rookie, but will be a legitimate part of the starting wide receiver competition throughout the summer.

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