One of the more underrated aspects of acquiring a future Hall of Fame wide receiver is the healthy competition and priceless mentoring that will inevitably take place between DeAndre Hopkins and Treylon Burks.
Whether Hopkins actually takes the time to break something down for Burks, or he’s simply leading by example, the veteran will undoubtedly bring the best out of each the second-year pro every single day.
While Burks probably won’t be teaching DHop too many things he doesn’t already know, the Arkansas product has the type of talent that can push Hopkins to remain at his absolute best.
As you can probably imagine, this entire scenario almost seems too good to be true for the young wide receiver who grew up idolizing Hopkins.
“Him being my teammate, our teammate, it’s pretty cool,” Burks said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “And then seeing him make the same plays you see on TV in practice, it just shows you that he is the real deal.
“It’s just a blessing to be able to play with your idol, and to be able to learn some things here and there.”
It was just a season ago that Burks was in a wide receivers room where he was hands down the alpha of the group, despite being a rookie.
That certainly isn’t the case anymore, and No. 16 now has someone who can not only teach him how to be a successful, big-bodied wideout, but the two of them can feed off each other as well.
As far as the relationship-building aspect goes, Tennessee’s top-two pass-catchers have hit the ground running, both professionally and personally.
“(The relationship is) going real good,” Burks said. “D-Hop is an amazing person, on and off the field. Just being with him the couple of days he’s been here, it’s been amazing. Just learning how he takes care of his business, and then he comes out here and practices. Seeing that is going to help me to get better.”
Hopkins appears to be embracing his veteran leadership role in Tennessee, something he’s gotten pretty used to ever since Andre Johnson left Houston, which ultimately forced Nuk to be the undeniable alpha in every room he’s been in from that point on.
“I think if you guys go back and see how productive Will Fuller was when he came to Houston and other receivers as well,” Hopkins said during his introductory press conference on Tuesday.
“Arizona, I think the same for some of those young receivers who came there. I helped those guys out a lot and made their job easier.”
Hopkins then discussed how his presence should help the entire offense going forward.
“Me being who I am, and defenses focusing on me, I think that helps not just myself, but tight ends as well. So, Treylon is a guy who has a lot of potential, and I think he’s going to show that this year.”
— Deandre Hopkins (@DeAndreHopkins) July 21, 2023
With DHop garnering a ton of attention on the outside, and Henry forcing defenses to respect the run at all times, Burks could be in line for a massive breakout sophomore campaign if everything goes according to plan.
However, first things first, the second-year pass catcher has to find a way to stay on the field. Otherwise, Burks’ undeniable potential won’t really matter too much.
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