Getty Wide receiver K.J. Osborn of the Minnesota Vikings warms up prior to the NFC Wild Card Playoff Game against the New York Giants in January 2023.
The Minnesota Vikings still have questions at the No. 3 wide receiver spot after K.J. Osborn‘s departure — but Tennessee Titans wide receiver Treylon Burks could provide some answers.
Sporting News’ Tyler Forness urged the Vikings to make an offer for Titans wide receiver who was selected 18th overall in the 2022 draft.
“The Titans arguably made a massive mistake during the 2022 NFL Draft by trading A.J. Brown to the Philadelphia Eagles and then expecting Burks to fill his role. Now, things haven’t gone well for Burks in his first two years, as he was raw coming out of Arkansas. They were using him as a YAC guy, getting him screens and manufactured touches along with go balls down the field, using his athleticism and size to win,” Forness wrote on May 13.
At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Burks possesses premiere size-speed traits but was deemed a raw talent coming out of Arkansas. His development hasn’t gone according to plan in Tennessee, however, the Vikings have one of the league’s best wide receiver coaches in Keenan McCardell who could guide him in Minnesota.
Through two full seasons, Burks has averaged 332.5 yards receiving and 24.5 receptions and has found the end zone once. He saw a decline in target share last season, catching 16 passes for 221 yards receiving.
Given Burks’ draft stock and production, a trade for him would likely match the package the Vikings offered the Eagles for Jalen Reagor — a seventh- and a fifth-round pick.
The Vikings have a competition for the third wide receiver spot slated for training camp after Osborn signed with the New England Patriots in March.
Titans’ Treylon Burks Has A.J. Brown Upside
GettyTitans wide receiver Treylon Burks could be on the trade block before the 2024 season.
It’s fitting that the Titans drafted Burks after trading Brown considering his NFL.com player comparison was Brown coming out of college.
“Big, smooth and natural, Burks possesses the versatility to operate from wherever you want and get to wherever you need no matter the competition. He’s a mismatch receiver combining size, strength and competitiveness similar to the Titans’ A.J. Brown, but his speed testing at the NFL Scouting Combine did not meet expectations,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote.
Burks has the size to win with leverage at any area of the field but hasn’t seemed to exploit his size yet at the next level. The Titans narrowed the areas of the field they’d attack with Burks and hadn’t yet found the best use for him.
“Arkansas benefitted by putting the ball in his hands from a variety of alignments and there is no reason to believe NFL play-callers won’t benefit from doing the same. The tape is extremely exciting with real NFL skills jumping off the screen, but his potential to become a high-volume, three-level target is a little more cloudy after a relatively disappointing showing at the combine,” Zierlein added.
Vikings WR3 Competition Will Be Contentious in Training Camp
GettyThe Vikings’ WR3 spot is open entering training camp in 2024.
With the Vikings’ 90-man roster taking shape ahead of training camp this summer, the team has loaded the wide receiver room in hopes of finding their replacement for Osborn.
Behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is Brandon Powell, who is the frontrunner after filling in last season when Jefferson went down. But Powell has his limitations and is more limited to a slot role than the rest of the room.
In free agency, the Vikings landed Trent Sherfield who caught just 11 passes in Buffalo last season. Jalen Nailor remains an in-house favorite but has not produced due to injury. Sherfield and Nailor are Powell’s biggest competitors.
Beyond the big three, there’s fourth-year receiver Trishton Jackson, who has remained in the Vikings’ orbit over the years as a training camp darkhorse and practice-squad player.
Lucky Jackson, Thayer Thomas and Malik Knowles enter their second training camps after surviving Year 1 as pros and hope to make an impression this summer.
Undrafted rookies Ty James, Jeshaun Jones and Devron Harper round out the remainder of the wide receiver group.