Burns is an intriguing NFL prospect
During his nearly two decades as an NFL scout, Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy would often watch college basketball games with an eye on body types that might translate to football. If he saw something he liked, Nagy would Google the player’s name to see if he played the sport in high school.
“My brain is just wired to watch basketball players and think about what they’d look like in shoulder pads and helmets,” he said. “And that’s all football guys, not just me. I just think that’s how we are.”
Watching No. 11 North Carolina State play No. 3 Duke in last weekend’s Elite Eight, Nagy was quickly drawn to N.C. State forward DJ Burns, the 6-foot-9, 275-pound senior who scored 29 points to lead the Wolfpack’s 76-64 upset.
“Anyone else having trouble watching N.C State big man DJ Burns and not thinking about him kick-sliding in pass pro or getting out on pulls? Can’t just be me,” Nagy wrote on X.
Within a few hours, Nagy heard from three contacts in the NFL – a general manager, an assistant GM and a director of college scouting – who validated his assessment: I’m sitting here thinking the same exact thing, they each told
Nagy.
N.C. State’s unexpected NCAA men’s tournament run ended with Saturday’s Final Four loss to No. 1 Purdue 63-50. Burns was held to eight points on 4for-10 shooting with one defensive rebound, one blocked shot and four assists while picking up three fouls, playing mostly against Boilermakers star center Zach Edey.
Will Burns’ recent impact play give NBA talent evaluators reason to select the fifth-year senior at some point in the two rounds of this year’s draft?
If professional basketball doesn’t come calling, however, Burns’ combination of size and athleticism could earn him the chance to make an unprecedented move from NCAA power forward to NFL offensive tackle.
“You see a big guy out there with nimble feet and soft hands, with touch and skill, body control for a big guy,” said Nagy. “I mean, some of the moves he makes, it takes really good body control. And that’s all rooted in offensive line play.”
Whether Burns becomes a serious candidate for the NFL depends first and foremost on his own interest in leaving basketball behind. That seems unlikely based on his response last week to questions regarding the potential move to football.
“With my size and everything, there’s going to be all the memes and jokes and what-ifs and everything,” he said on ESPN. “It’s all cool for the media. I’m a basketball player. I’m pretty sure about that.”
North Carolina State coach Kevin Keatts put it even more bluntly: There’s “no way he’s going to play football,” he said on Thursday.
“I mean, listen, he’s got a great touch,” Keatts added. “He’s not that bully that you guys think. You spent some time with him? He’s a teddy bear off the court.”
And even if he is interested, there are other questions NFL teams would ask before investing in Burns as an offensive tackle prospect, Nagy said.
Is he tough enough? Will he work to remake his body composition to handle the physicality of line play? Most important, will teams view him as a future starter? If not, would a front office and coaching staff be willing to spend two or more years developing a backup lineman?
“He knows how to put shoulder pads on, but that’s it. There’s going to be a pretty steep learning curve,” Nagy said.
Multiple former college basketball players have made the transition to the NFL without playing a down of college football, though nearly all at a specific position, tight end.
Playing offensive line requires a more complete skill set: size, power, athleticism and footwork along with a concrete grasp of how defenses operate – the latter a big question mark for Burns, who hasn’t played football since the eighth grade.
One thing that’s almost certain: NFL talent evaluators “would definitely show up” if Burns had an open workout in the coming weeks, Nagy said.