Former Arkansas football standout Treylon Burks was involved in a scary situation late in this week’s Thursday Night Football matchup.
Now playing for the Tennessee Titans, he appeared to be knocked unconscious when he fell hard trying to make a diving catch along the sideline.
Although Burks had to be stabilized on a stretcher and taken off the field on a cart, he was able to give a thumbs up that was caught by TV cameras:
More good news emerged following the game, when ESPN reporter Turron Davenport spotted him walking out of the locker room and board the team bus under his own power.
During his postgame press conference, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed that Burks was alert and had full use of his extremities.
Burks was unable to reel in the fourth-down pass, giving the ball back to the Steelers with only 2:06 remaining. Tennessee lost 20-16 to drop to 3-5 on the season.
Before getting hurt, Burks caught two passes for 23 yards and had a 5-yard carry.
Treylon Burks with the Tennessee Titans
While it is great news that he seems to be okay after the scary injury, Treylon Burks has had a tough second season in the NFL. Even with Thursday’s receptions, he has only eight catches for 122 yards in five games this season.
Much like they did – albeit to a lesser extent – at Arkansas, injuries have plagued Burks in the pros and played a major role in him failing — so far — to live up to the expectations that came with being drafted 18th overall and tabbed as the heir apparent to AJ Brown with the Titans.
Last season, he caught just 33 passes for 444 yards and one touchdown in 11 games. Burks missed four games in the first half of the season because of a turf toe injury and then missed two weeks when he suffered a concussion on his lone touchdown catch in Week 13.
During training camp leading up to this season, Burks had to be carted off with what was later diagnosed as an LCL sprain in his left knee. He didn’t miss the start of the season, but eventually suffered a separate injury to the same knee that led to him being inactive for Weeks 4-6.
If Burks ultimately misses next week’s game at Tampa Bay, which is scheduled for Nov. 12, it will be the fourth different injury that’s kept him off the field in about one and a half seasons.
Former Arkansas Star Falling Short of Expectations
Those injuries have led to Treylon Burks being the second-least productive of the six wide receivers taken within the first 18 picks of the 2022 NFL Draft.
As seen in the chart below, the Arkansas football legend trails only former Alabama standout Jameson Williams, who missed the start of his NFL career because of a torn ACL suffered in college and was also suspended the first four games of this season for violating the league’s gambling policy.
| Player (School) | Pick # | NFL Team | Career NFL Stats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drank London (USC) | No. 8 | Atlanta Falcons | 109 receptions, 1,304 yards, 6 touchdowns |
| Garrett Wilson (Ohio State) | No. 10 | New York Jets | 122 receptions, 1,572 yards, 6 touchdowns |
| Chris Olave (Ohio State) | No. 11 | New Orleans Saints | 116 receptions, 1,559 yards, 5 touchdowns |
| Jameson Williams (Alabama) | No. 12 | Detroit Lions | 7 receptions, 112 yards, 2 touchdowns |
| Jahan Dotson (Penn State) | No. 16 | Washington Commanders | 65 receptions, 814 yards, 9 touchdowns |
| Treylon Burks (Arkansas) | No. 18 | Tennessee Titans | 41 receptions, 566 yards, 1 touchdown |
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Curious how other former Arkansas football players are doing in the NFL? Check out our Pro Hogs page, which is updated weekly with their stats:
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