With the Indianapolis Colts’ final pick in the 2026 NFL draft, GM Chris Ballard selected Oklahoma wide receiver Deion Burks, who could compete for snaps right away.
Burks played a big role in Oklahoma’s offense last season, totaling 86 targets. He would catch 58 of those passes for 617 yards with four touchdowns. This past season, Burks was quite good after the catch as well, showcasing his playmaking abilities.
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Although measuring in at under 5-10 and weighing 180 pounds, most of Burks’ snaps came out wide during his career rather than in the slot. The Colts believe he can continue to line up both inside and out at the NFL level.
“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.”
Burks is a terrific athlete, running a 4.30-second 40 during the pre-draft process, along with recording a 42.5-inch vertical and 10-11 in the broad jump. He also put up an impressive 26 reps on the bench press.
“At his size, pound-for-pound, I mean, this kid is very, very strong, very explosive,” Lacy said. “You can feel it when he’s coming off the ball. And again, you can feel it when he’s running through contact. I think that bench press is consistent with what we kind of saw on film.”
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Burks should have the opportunity to compete with Ashton Dulin and Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for the WR3 role, alongside of Alec Pierce and Josh Downs.
There may not have been a better value pick in the entire draft. The Colts picked Burks at 254th overall, but on the consensus big board, he was the 96th-ranked player.
This article originally appeared on Colts Wire: 2026 NFL draft: What Colts scout had to say about WR Deion Burks