Despite bringing back Alec Pierce, he will be out for three months after undergoing ankle surgery that bothered him in the 2025 season. Michael Pittman Jr. was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers to create room for Pierce.
The duo combined for almost half of the Indianapolis Colts passing yards last season and more than half of the receiving touchdowns. With Pittman Jr. gone and Alec Pierce lined up to be healed by training camp, Indy needed to add more depth at the position.
To address the need, the Colts drafted Deion Burks from the University of Oklahoma with the 254th overall pick in the seventh round of the 2026 NFL Draft.
Burks spoke to the media at rookie mini-camp and talked about learning from his new wide receiver coach, NFL legend Reggie Wayne.
Colts Rookie Opens Up on New Coach
GettyNFL legend Reggie Wayne
The Indianapolis Colts wide receiver room has produced notable names recently, Alec Pierce and Michael Pittman Jr., with Reggie Wayne as their wide receiver coach.
The former continues to progress in his career, signing a $114 million contract to remain with the Colts this offseason and the latter had his best season (1,152 receiving yards) under Wayne.
Adding Deion Burks to the team gives the receiving room some speed, as he ran the third-quickest 40-yard dash among wide receivers at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine and the fourth-quickest among all positions, with a 4.30 time.
Burks spoke to the media at the Colts’ rookie mini-camp about how it was to have the NFL legend as his position coach.
“He [has] a lot of experience, man. [He’s a] six-time Pro Bowler,” Burks said. “He knows what’s to come, what’s expected. Just a great mentor.”
Wayne was on the phone when the Colts selected the wide receiver near the end of Day 3 of the draft, telling Burks, “This is our time to prove everybody wrong.”
Deion Burks says he was frustrated not to hear his name called earlier in the draft, but believes he’s supposed to be where he is.
Draft Analyst Has High Praise for Deion Burks
GettyDeion Burks played two seasons with the Oklahoma Sooners
Pro Football Focus named Deion Burks the 78th-best prospect and the 15th-best receiver in the 2026 NFL Draft. But the receiver almost didn’t have his name called before the Colts selected him at 254th, 3 picks before the end of the draft.
“Deion Burks is one of the 100 best football players in this draft. We’re talking about a top 100 receiver, who, yes, is undersized at 5’9” 3/4 and 180 pounds. And, yes, he does his best work on the outside as a vertical receiver. He went 254th overall.” McShay said on his show. “He never topped 1,000 yards in a season, but he never had a quarterback who could throw him the football. He’s never had a quarterback who can throw him the ball vertically.”
“This guy is a pint-sized explosive, like he’s lighting. And now the Colts get him in the seventh round.”
Learning from an NFL legend and with Alec Pierce in the wide receiver room to help, Deion Burks could have an underrated season for a seventh-round selection.
Colts Seventh Rounder Gets Honest About New NFL Legend Coach