Tag: Nate Burleson

Darius Slayton ready for outbreak year with the Giants

The former Auburn star had a big rookie season for the New York Giants.

After a stellar rookie season many are wondering: is Darius Slayton ready to take the next step to greatness?

I certainly think so.

The Giants didn’t really know what they were getting in Slayton when they drafted him in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft. You can blame that on Auburn’s lack of a passing game, but once Slayton made it to New York coaches liked what they saw.

After sitting out the first half of the season due to a hamstring injury, Slayton had a breakout game in week 10 against the Jets, catching 10 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns. By the end of the season, he’d become QB Daniel Jones’ favorite target and led the Giants in receiving yards (740), yards per catch (15.4) and touchdowns (8).

Does he have what it takes to be the Giants’ number 1 wide receiver?

MORE: What Auburn’s SEC only 2020 football schedule could look like

The Giants didn’t add to their wide receiver corps this offseason and, if Slayton can remain healthy, he’ll be the Giants best option at WR1.

Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson is here to let everyone know, Slayton is the real deal:

“He’s a beast, man,” Burleson said. “I wanna see him develop even more and see just how well they can use him. Can you move him around? Can you put him in motion? Can you run him around multiple routes? I know he can go over the top of guys. Now let’s test how good of a wide receiver he is. He’s one of my favorite young wideouts …

“He can be a top-flight receiver in this league.”

Big Blue Review’s Ed Valentine with the full analysis of Darius Slayton here.

Darius Slayton has the best opportunity to capitalize on his rookie success this season, all eyes are on him.

Former Vikings WR Nate Burleson names his top-5 teammates

Burleson played with the Vikings from 2003-2005 after being drafted in the third round out of Nevada.

Former Vikings wide receiver and current NFL Network personality Nate Burleson ranked his top-5 teammates during his career over at NFL.com.

Three former Vikings appear on the list.

Quarterback Daunte Culpepper is listed at No. 5, cornerback Antoine Winfield was No. 4 and wide receiver Randy Moss was listed No. 1.

Burleson played with the Vikings from 2003-2005 after being drafted in the third round out of Nevada. In 2004, he had the best season of his career, finishing with 68 catches for 1,006 yards and nine touchdowns.

Here’s a bit of what Burleson wrote about Moss:

Seriously, I would line up next to him, look at the DBs guarding him, and they were already on their heels. Moss already won and the play hadn’t even started. Hands down the most natural and physically gifted athlete I ever played with.

Burleson only played two seasons with Moss, but in those two seasons Moss had a combined 2,399 receiving yards and 30 touchdowns. Not bad.

You can see Burleson’s full list of best teammates here.

Watch: Lions collaborate with former players for series of Juneteenth messages

The Detroit Lions collaborated with several former players for series of Juneteenth video messages on social justice.

Earlier in the week, the Detroit Lions released a prepared statement declaring Juneteenth a permanent organizational holiday.

“The Detroit Lions and Ford Field are establishing the observance of Juneteenth as a permanent organizational holiday and closing their offices Friday, June, 19th,” The Lions statement read. “Staff will be encouraged to use the day as an opportunity to reflect and further their awareness around racial inequality and social justice.”

Today, in addition to observing Juneteenth, the Lions used their social media platform to share video messages from former players as a way of “bringing awareness to social injustices in our world.”

You can watch all of the video’s in the tweets below:

Nate Burleson

Stephen Tulloch

Robert Porcher

Dre Bly

Joique Bell

Andre Fluellen

Former NFL WR expects Steelers JuJu Smith-Schuster to have a ‘huge year’ statistically

A former wide receiver, who has been in his shoes, believes JuJu Smith-Schuster will have a bounceback season.

The 2019 season was JuJu Smith-Schuster’s year to prove he could be a true No. 1 wide receiver. Unfortunately, it wasn’t in the cards — first, the Steelers offense fell apart around him, and then he suffered a knee injury. It’s impossible to judge Smith-Schuster’s season under those circumstances.

When discussing what player will most definitely bounce back in 2020, former NFL receiver, Nate Burleson, chose Smith-Schuster.

“If you look at his last best season, which was two years ago, he put up those monster numbers,” said Burleson on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football”. “The only asterisk I would put on that season is that Antonio Brown was still on the roster… Prove that you can do it without a big dog next to you.”

“If you ball out, you know that money is coming. If you don’t, people are going to try to short-change you. So, JuJu Smith-Schuster, I expect him to have a huge year statistically for the Steelers.”

So, here we go again. Will Smith-Schuster prove he can be a true No. 1 receiver in 2020? His pro future literally depends on it.

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Nate Burleson predicts Giants will win NFC East in 2020

Nate Burleson has made the extremely bold prediction that the New York Giants will win the NFC East in 2020.

Although the New York Giants have vastly improved their roster heading into the 2020 season, many experts and analysts are not buying a miraculous turnaround.

With a first-time head coach, second-year quarterback, young roster and limitations due to the coronavrus pandemic, most projections have the Giants winning between two and six games in 2020.

Retired NFL wide receiver and current NFL Network analyst Nate Burleson is not among those pessimists. In fact, Burleson is on the complete opposite end of the spectrum and is perhaps too optimistic about the Giants’ chances in 2020.

“Everyone wants to basically crown the Cowboys or the Eagles, but I’m going to go in a different direction and says the Giants win the NFC East,” Burleson said earlier this week. “It’s kind of like when your trainer hands you those two-pound dumbbells and you’re sitting there trying to lift it and the more that you lift you realize, ‘oh I’m getting a little burn. This is working.’

“They got a new coach, Joe Judge, who is no nonsense. Oh, and Jason Garrett, I forgot they brought him in as an offensive coordinator. He’s going to help try to do some things with that running game like he did with DeMarco Murray. And Daniel Jones — Daniel Jones showed some bright spots and he’s going to take care of the ball because they shored up the offensive line with that fourth overall pick.

“And then, not to mention, the wide receivers — the wide receivers are going to help. You have Golden Tate healthy, Sterling Shepard, Evan Engram… You have all these individuals that are going to finally help this team.”

Despite his outlook, Burleson understands if Giants fans are reluctant to buy into sudden success after nearly a decade struggles.

“I know Giants fans over the last couple of years are like, ‘are we going to be good? One day. Sunday.’ But I think coming up this season it’s going to be ‘Sunday Funday.’ I got the Giants winning the NFC East,” Burleson said.

That seems mighty pie in the sky from Burleson, but stranger things have happened. Giants as NFC East champs in 2020? That’s quite a prediction.

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DK Metcalf selected as Nate Burleson’s top breakout receiver

NFL analyst Nate Burleson listed his top-five breakout candidates at wide receiver, and Seattle Seahawks star DK Metcalf was number one.

NFL Network analyst and former Seattle Seahawks receiver Nate Burleson has made it exceptionally clear he is a big, big fan of wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Burleson, who played for Seattle from 2006-2009 and now is a commentator on ‘Good Morning Football’ and ‘The NFL Today’, predicted back in February that Metcalf would have 1,200 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns next season. He followed that up in April by saying Metcalf is just scratching the surface of what he can accomplish in the NFL.

Now, Burleson listed his top-five breakout candidates at wide receiver, and as you can probably guess, Metcalf is number one.

Metcalf is followed by Deebo Samuel of the 49ers, CeeDee Lamb of the Cowboys, Will Fuller of the Texans and Henry Ruggs III of the Raiders.

While some may think there’s some favoritism going on here (Burleson is also from Seattle) there is certainly some legitimacy to the idea of Metcalf breaking out in 2020.

For starters, he was awesome as a rookie, racking up 900 receiving yards and seven touchdowns on 58 receptions. He is heading into year two more familiar with Russell Wilson, and with the expectation he could be moved around the formation more.

Tyler Lockett is still in the mix, and the team added a few more weapons in Greg Olsen and Phillip Dorsett, as well as three pass-catching rookies, but that only makes it more difficult for teams to defend Metcalf, as they are less likely to double-team him.

A 1,000 yard season and a potential Pro Bowl berth are both realistic possibilities for the hulking receiver in year two, and Burleson is not along in expecting big things from Metcalf when the season gets going.

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Could the Texans without DeAndre Hopkins be like the Detroit Lions without Calvin Johnson?

Without DeAndre Hopkins, the Houston Texans face doubts about their passing game. The Detroit Lions faced them in 2016 after Calvin Johnson retired.

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The Houston Texans have a huge question mark they have to answer in 2020: how will their passing game be effective without three-time All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins?

According to the NFL Network’s Nate Burleson, the loss of Hopkins could be offset by the addition of former Los Angeles Rams receiver Brandin Cooks, who has played with Drew Brees, Tom Brady, and Jared Goff over his six previous seasons.

“Maybe in a strange way, Brandin Cooks brings a little experience, maybe a little more stability, and maybe the balance of Deshaun Watson dropping back and not having to look at [Hopkins] every, single time and then go through his progressions,” Burleson said. “Now, he can kind of find that balance.”

Burleson, who played in the NFL from 2003-14 for the Minnesota Vikings, Seattle Seahawks, Detroit Lions, and Cleveland Browns, compared to the loss of Hopkins to the retirement of three-time All-Pro wideout Calvin Johnson, who had played for the Detroit Lions from 2007-15.

“It was the first time that Matt Stafford was able to distribute the ball without Calvin Johnson,” said Burleson. “We saw him almost elevate his game a little bit.”

The season after Johnson retired, the Lions’ passing game was expected to be abysmal and Detroit was expected to struggle. Stafford produced a 93.3 passer rating, 10 interceptions, tied for his lowest in a 16-game season, and the Lions qualified for the postseason as a wild-card.

Said Burleson: So, the biggest question for me is what is going to happen with the Houston Texans without D-Hop? Because this could work and everything could go fine and seamlessly. Or, it could fail because they don’t have the chemistry.”

The trading of Hopkins to help the Texans add layers of productive players is a risky move on the part of coach Bill O’Brien, now with full-time general manager duties. But if it gets the Texans into the AFC Championship Game or further, it was simple addition by subtraction.

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Nate Burleson says Broncos are ‘in a great place’ with Drew Lock

Former NFL wide receiver Nate Burleson thinks the Broncos have done a great job building around quarterback Drew Lock.

Last week, the ‘Good Morning Football’ crew on NFL Network discussed which second-year quarterbacks they are most excited to watch in 2020.

Former wide receiver Nate Burleson picked Broncos quarterback Drew Lock, who went 4-1 as a starter last season.

“The Broncos used their first two picks on wide receivers . . . then you add the fact that Courtland Sutton is literally just figuring out his powers . . . so now they have one of the youngest groups of wide receivers — guys that are still on their rookie deals — and you can build on that plus the quarterback,” Burleson said on NFL Network.

“I feel like the Broncos are in a great place over the next few years to start to add to what Drew Lock can potentially become in this league.”

In addition to Sutton, Lock will also have Jerry Jeudy, KJ Hamler, Noah Fant, Albert Okwuegbunam, Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon to work with this season. Denver’s offense appears poised to have a breakout year.

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Nate Burleson says DK Metcalf is ‘just scratching the surface’

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson stated that current WR DK Metcalf is only scratching the surface of his potential.

Former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Nate Burleson recently raved about current wideout DK Metcalf, who is coming off a strong rookie season and looks to be one of the NFL’s top wide receivers in 2020.

Burleson stated on the Talkin’ Seahawks podcast that teams who passed on Metcalf focused less on his physical traits and draft performances that emphasized his positive potential than they should have.

“You look at his frame, you look at his speed, you look at how strong he is and then you think about what he can do with great coaching,” Burleson said. “That’s where people didn’t really break him down.”

Burleson said the sky is the limit for Metcalf, who recorded 58 receptions for 900 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019.

“He’s literally just scratching the surface, which is scary,” Burleson said. “He’s humble, he’s hungry and he’s just a cool cat. I would love to see him have a breakout year. He’s going to be one of the best receivers in the league someday soon.”

Burleson also stated that Metcalf can be particularly unstoppable if he learns to execute in several different spots around the field, including the slot, to take advantage of potential mismatches.

“If DK can do that, he’ll be unstoppable,” Burleson said. “If you put him in the slot and put him against a nickel corner or a linebacker or a safety, it’s curtains for the defender.”

Seahawks fans will heavily anticipate Metcalf’s sophomore season. Like Burleson said, he is only scratching the surface.

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Nate Burleson thinks Tajae Sharpe will have career-year with Vikings

These predicted numbers would be pretty close to what Diggs did in 2019 with the Vikings.

The Vikings took a chance on receiver Tajae Sharpe hoping that he can help the team solve its void at WR2 after trading Stefon Diggs.

Nate Burleson over at NFL.com thinks that Sharpe will do a solid job of it, which would certainly be a big win for the Vikings.

Here’s what Burleson wrote about Sharpe’s fit with the Vikings:

This is a great situation for the former Titan. During his career, as a backup or sub, Sharpe has rarely been one of the QB’s first few reads. With Stefon Diggs out of Minnesota, Sharpe has a spectacular opportunity to prove himself opposite Adam Thielen, and I think he will log his best season to date.

2020 production: 55 rec., 950 yards, 9 TDs

Those numbers would all be career highs for Sharpe and are nearly identical to what Diggs did in 2019 for the Vikings. Diggs caught 63 passes for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns.

The Vikings are also likely to added at least one receiver in the draft as well, which could certainly cut into Sharpe’s touches.