First-Round Pick Struggles in First Rookie Camp Workout- Treylon Burks

[jetsons]

Wide receiver Treylon Burks failed to make it through his first practice as an NFL player because of conditioning issues.

NASHVILLE – Mike Vrabel said it could have happened to any of them.

Nine draft picks, 17 undrafted players and seven others invited for tryouts took to the practice field for the first time as professionals Friday during the Tennessee Titans’ rookie orientation. All of them prepared for the opportunity over the preceding weeks and months, but likely none were fully prepared for the physical demands they faced.

Yet it was Treylon Burks, the Titans’ first-round pick in the 2022 NFL Draft who appeared particularly ill-equipped to handle the workload. The wide receiver out of Arkansas was visibly out of breath when he walked off with a trainer during the individual period, which happened in the first 20 minutes of the nearly 90-minute session. After a brief stay inside the training facility, Burks returned to the field for a time but exited once again stayed inside the rest of the time.

“I think it’s hard to think that they can recreate with a trainer how we do things,” Vrabel, Tennessee’s fifth-year coach, said. “We see that with (veterans) that have come back and started with our offseason program and guys that have joined a few weeks in. It’s just different.

“I know that they were working, and they think they were trying to get in shape, but that’s just not the case.”

The workout took place early in the afternoon under sunny skies with temperatures in the mid-80s. It was not exactly the searing conditions players will face during training camp in August, and there were five wide receivers among the 37 participants (in addition to the rookies there were four players with minimal NFL experience), more than at any other position group. So, Burks did not get an inordinate amount of reps.

Plus, the conditions were not exactly foreign to the Warren, Ark. native who played college football at the University of Arkansas.

All of the others made it through, however.

Burks was scheduled to meet with the media following the session. That changed because he was with the training staff, and fourth-round pick Hassan Haskins, a running back out of Michigan, stepped to the podium instead.

“It was definitely different, coming from Michigan,” Haskins said. “I mean, it felt nice. It was hot, but it felt nice.”

The rookie orientation is typically an eye-opening experience on multiple fronts, including the physical requirements, and always has been. It is not unique to the Titans and their time with Vrabel.

Back in 2010, Derrick Morgan, Tennessee’s first-round pick that year, talked about how the pre-draft process for high-profile prospects makes the things more difficult in the immediate aftermath.

Morgan noted that the travel for interviews adversely affected his workout schedule and diet in March and April. He then sustained a hamstring during conditioning drills immediately after the rookie orientation and sat out the first of that year’s minicamps. He also was injured at the start of training camp and ultimately played four games as a rookie before he finished the year on injured reserve.

The Titans need Burks to be healthy and productive. They acquired him with a pick obtained from Philadelphia (18th overall) in last month’s trade for A.J. Brown with the idea that he could fill the role that Brown played for the past three seasons. Burks, who is 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, often was compared to Brown in pre-draft scouting reports.

That made his issues on Friday more noteworthy than they would have been for virtually any of the other participants.

“He’s good,” quarterback Malik Willis said of Burks. “That’s my roommate too. So, I’m going to chop it up with him.”

The rookies will have another on-field session Saturday. Things will ramp up even more Monday when they join the veterans for on-field work as part of Phase 2 of the offseason conditioning program.

“They all have a long way to go,” Vrabel said. “We all have a long way to go. We all have a lot to improve on and I think the great thing with this group is maybe we can only improve some of those veterans just a little bit. … All these players out there on that field (Friday), there’s a lot for them to work on.

“… We’ve got to get these guys in here and we’ve got to study. We’ve got to learn what to do, teach them our program. If (Burks) is back out there (Saturday), we’ll coach him up.”

[The Crusher]

Prolly mono. 

[ryu79]

I think the late Joe McKnight had a similar thing as a rookie in the heat. 

[New York Mick]

5 minutes ago, ryu79 said:

I think the late Joe McKnight had a similar thing as a rookie in the heat. 

It’s not that hot in Nashville yet. 

[Joe W. Namath]

He had the height and body to be the 1st receiver taken in the draft.  But bad combine metrics and now this, theres a reason he wasnt.  Not looking good early for burkes.

[Ken Schroy]

Bust.

[Butterfield]

Who knows, it could just be anxiety.  I don’t really see it as any big deal.  I played sports growing up (and still do), was always in really great shape, but would lose my breath, gag and puke in the middle of every game or practice.  It never impacted my ability to play and play well.  

[GreenFish]

1 hour ago, Joe W. Namath said:

He had the height and body to be the 1st receiver taken in the draft.  But bad combine metrics and now this, theres a reason he wasnt.  Not looking good early for burkes.

Probably connected. A well conditioned Burkes probably has a much better combine.

Glad we seemed to have drafted guys where this isn’t a concern.

[Dunnie]

Meanwhile in Summercamp Saleh ... all the draft picks are snuggly tucked into their classroom chairs with a free juicebox.

[Hal N of Provo]

5 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

Meanwhile in Summercamp Saleh ... all the draft picks are snuggly tucked into their classroom chairs with a free juicebox.
 

Not risking injury while they are out of shape from the underwear Olympics… looks ok to me. 

[Stark]

10 hours ago, New York Mick said:

It’s not that hot in Nashville yet. 

this is true... its been in 80's with only 50% humidity,.... in a couple weeks it will be 90's with 90+% humidity.

[Beerfish]

One reason among all of these off season weight training videos we were seeing with Becton I wanted to see at least one of him running sprints or pushing a sled a long distance or jogging rather than just hoisting weights.

[jetsons]

6 hours ago, Butterfield said:

Who knows, it could just be anxiety.  I don’t really see it as any big deal.  I played sports growing up (and still do), was always in really great shape, but would lose my breath, gag and puke in the middle of every game or practice.  It never impacted my ability to play and play well.  

The difference is Burkes couldn't make it through the practice, he had to be taken to the trainer's room... it impacted his play.  

[Dunnie]

Not risking injury while they are out of shape from the underwear Olympics… looks ok to me. 

To me me its soft

[BurnleyJet]

Bustville Jets Xfactor had this guys number.

[Stark]

9 minutes ago, jetsons said:

The difference is Burkes couldn't make it through the practice, he had to be taken to the trainer's room... it impacted his play.  

[SomebodytoAnybody47]

After witnessing Jamar Chase not being able to catch a football in preseason last year, I’ll always hold off on judgement. 

[jNYC1]

Like Zachtomims47, I'm also old enough to remember when Ja'marr Chase couldn't catch NFL balls during pre-season... so I am now 100% convinced Burke's will bust.  I hear conditioning is one of the hardest things to correct.  Burkes was probably celebrating his dreams coming true, as a dude in his 20s, instead of putting in that work over the last couple of weeks.

All jokes aside, I am more concerned about his very limited route tree, and poor effort when not getting the ball.  I think his athletic traits are sufficient but he does have a lot of work in front of him.  Not being in shape is definitely a less than ideal start, for someone that needs to get that work in.

[jNYC1]

6 minutes ago, Zachtomims47 said:

After witnessing Jamar Chase not being able to catch a football in preseason last year, I’ll always hold off on judgement. 

Crap - you beat me to it.. by 6 minutes!

 

[FootballLove]

Lay off the kid! He clearly had covid, 2 hammies, and food poisoning. He should catch on by year 3. 

[juxsta]

21 minutes ago, Zachtomims47 said:

After witnessing Jamar Chase not being able to catch a football in preseason last year, I’ll always hold off on judgement. 

Exactly! I could care less about OTAs,preseason or camps.After the JaMarr Chase rookie camp struggle talk and then seeing him in the Super Bowl the same year the off season struggle talk means nothing.

 

 

[New York Mick]

2 hours ago, Stark said:

this is true... its been in 80's with only 50% humidity,.... in a couple weeks it will be 90's with 90+% humidity.

Exactly and he played college in Arkansas so he should be use to the heat. 

[Butterfield]

2 hours ago, jetsons said:

The difference is Burkes couldn't make it through the practice, he had to be taken to the trainer's room... it impacted his play.  

May just have been a precaution by team staff that isn’t familiar with him.  

[jeremy2020]

50 minutes ago, juxsta said:

Exactly! I could care less about OTAs,preseason or camps.After the JaMarr Chase rookie camp struggle talk and then seeing him in the Super Bowl the same year the off season struggle talk means nothing.

 

 

..and being a huge reason they were there. Camp makes heroes and losers and in the end.. it doesn't mean much. 

[Jet Nut]

14 hours ago, ryu79 said:

I think the late Joe McKnight had a similar thing as a rookie in the heat. 

And he was trashed for puking on the practice field.  

Its just as pointless at the end of the day as it was for McKnight years ago.  

The season is 4 1/2 months away

[PepPep]

[jetsons]

7 hours ago, Stark said:

Iverson was a bona fide star coming off an MVP season when this occurred... Burkes is a rookie who couldn't even make it through his 1st practice... If you think these are comparable...?

I'm not saying he won't do well in the league,.. I'm just pointing out how his 1st practice went. 

[Jetsfan80]

10 hours ago, Hal N of Provo said:

Not risking injury while they are out of shape from the underwear Olympics… looks ok to me. 

@JiFapono would like to learn more about these “underwear Olympics” you speak of.  Most notably:  Was Braxton Berrios invited?

[Jetsfan80]

8 hours ago, Zachtomims47 said:

After witnessing Jamar Chase not being able to catch a football in preseason last year, I’ll always hold off on judgement. 

And on the other side of the coin, in his Week 1 rookie debut, Stephen Hill caught 2 TDs for the Jets against the Bills.

He would only catch 2 more TDs, total, the rest of his short career in the league. 

[Matt39]

 Pretty sure his weight/conditioning was a flag during th draft process

[Sammybighead]

14 hours ago, BurnleyJet said:

Bustville Jets Xfactor had this guys number.

I think everyone on earth had his number after the combine. Except the titans. 

I went from loving him to wanting nothing to do with him myself. 

[static14]

Maybe he had the salmon?

[Maynard13]

Mims > Burks 

or maybe they’re related, like distant cousins?

[Jet_Engine1]

On 5/15/2022 at 11:09 AM, static14 said:

Maybe he had the salmon?

That's right, I had Lasagna...