The NFL Combine marched on during the final day of February, as another Oklahoma player turned in a standout performance in Indianapolis.
Deion Burks shined during Saturday's workouts at Lucas Oil Stadium on a day in which wide receivers, running backs and quarterbacks took center stage for on-field drills and testing. Burks, who spent two seasons at Oklahoma after starting his career at Purdue, was one of the top overall performers among receivers at the Combine.
The 5-foot-10, 180-pound wideout turned heads with a blazing-fast 4.30 in the 40-yard dash, which was third among wide receivers—behind only Mississippi State (and one-time OU receiver) Brenen Thompson's 4.26 and LSU receiver Zavion Thomas' 4.27. Burks' laser-timed speed of 4.3 seconds was fourth overall among player at this year's event, with Ohio State safety Lorenzo Styles Jr. (4.27) the only other player to finish with a better time.
Burks' time in the 40 is the 11th-best mark among wide receivers in NFL Combine history.
While Burks finished with the third-best 40-yard dash among receivers during Saturday's testing, he posted the second-best 10-yard split, clocking in at 1.49 seconds—just behind Cincinnati wide receiver Jeff Caldwell's 1.48.
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It wasn't just the straightaway speed that Burks put on display Saturday, either.
He led all wide receivers with a 42.5-inch vertical jump, which was tied for sixth among all participants at this year's NFL Combine and seventh all-time among wide receivers at the annual scouting event. Burks also posted a 10-foot, 11-inch broad jump that was good for fifth among wide receivers during Saturday's testing and tied for 12th among all participants at this year's event.
Burks did not participate in the three-cone drill or the 20-yard shuttle during Saturday's testing, but the former OU receiver likely did enough to solidify himself as a Day 2 pick in this year's NFL Draft. Burks projects as a true slot receiver at the next level, though only 22.1% of his snaps last season came in the slot. Across two seasons with the Sooners, Burks was primarily used on the outside.
He finished his Oklahoma career with 88 receptions for 865 yards and seven touchdowns in 18 games. Burks was limited to five games in 2024 due to injury after transferring from Purdue, but he appeared in all 13 games last fall and finished as OU's second-leading receiver. He caught 57 passes for 620 yards and four touchdowns for an Oklahoma team that went 10-3 and made the College Football Playoff for the first time since 2019.
While Burks put on a show during on-field testing Saturday, one other Oklahoma player had an opportunity to close out the combine on a good note as defensive backs and tight ends took to the bench press. There, Jaren Kanak put up 24 reps of 225 pounds, tying for fifth among tight ends in Indianapolis this year.
Only offensive linemen have yet to take the field for drills and testing at this year's NFL Combine. Oklahoma's Febechi Nwaiwu will have his turn to go through drills Sunday, with bench press for offensive linemen set to take place Monday.