DeAndre Hopkins knows a lot about being an NFL wide receiver. He’s had seven 1,000-plus yard seasons in 11 years as a pro, including in his Tennessee Titans debut last fall.
The five-time All-Pro currently ranks 21st in NFL history with more than 900 career receptions. He’ll have the opportunity to bolster his Hall of Fame case in 2024 alongside new Titan Calvin Ridley and former first round pick Treylon Burks.
Burks is an especially intriguing piece of the Tennessee offense. The Arkansas star was drafted with the pick acquired by trading away Pro Bowler AJ Brown. Brown’s continued emergence with the Philadelphia Eagles put high expectations on Burks to perform early in his career. Instead, his rise to stardom has been derailed by injury and shaky quarterbacking.
But Burks could thrive in 2024 when Ridley’s arrival helps shift defensive focus even farther from him. So when Hopkins was asked whether or not his young teammate was being slept on, he resorted to German in order to give the press an answer perfectly clear in its vagueness.
Then, he doubled back to Twitter to make sure fans weren’t taking things the wrong way.
The media is the only one sleeping on Treylon Burks, No one in the locker room doubted him or slept on him “we are not people” I can't speak for “people” so Nein he's never been slept on to us. Thank you come again 😂 https://t.co/dLNJl0AbkY
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) May 21, 2024
Hopkins’ response that Burks wasn’t being overlooked wasn’t a low-key dig at a player he thinks will fail to live up to expectations. In fact, it was confirmation of the Titans’ internal thought process when it comes to the former first round pick. Tennessee still expects big things from the 24-year-old.
It makes sense. Burks lacks burner speed, but he’s a wide-bodied receiver with great ball skills and the power to catch the ball far from his body and haul it in through contact. Though he only has 20 NFL games under his belt, he’s had at least 50 receiving yards in six of those. The potential is there, even if he’s failed to tap into it on a consistent basis.
Hopkins sees that potential as well, and he’s not sleeping on his young teammate’s ability, even in May workouts. Burks may not see the volume of targets he did early in his Titans career, but there’s a reasonable chance he thrives in the space created as the wide veteran wideouts above him on the depth chart spread the field.