PFF names top graded wide receiver for 2022 NFL draft

Pro Football Focus’s highest-graded wide receiver headed for the 2022 NFL Draft is Arkansas Razorbacks star Treylon Burks. Burks has posted a higher grade for receiving than all other draft-eligible wideouts since 2020.

Despite this, PFF still ranks the Arkansas native behind four other receivers for this year’s draft. He sits behind Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Drake London and Chris Olave, though still projected as a first-round pick.

“Burks’ combination of size (6-foot-3, 225 pounds) and speed is unrivaled in the class,” PFF wrote. “He racked up 1,100 yards and 11 scores this season. The true junior should be a weapon on the vertical tree in the NFL.”

Treylon Burks: Highest receiving grade since 2020 among draft eligible WR’s (92.6) pic.twitter.com/N4NYVlUcqZ

— PFF Draft (@PFF_College) January 22, 2022

Should Treylon Burks go in the first round of this year’s draft, he will be Arkansas’s first first-rounder since center Frank Ragnow in 2018. He’s No. 31 overall on PFF’s draft big board.

Burks leaving behind legacy at Arkansas

Treylon Burks was the No. 1 player out of the state of Arkansas in the 2019 class. Instead of leaving the Natural State, the Warren, Ark., native elected to play for his state school.

Burks started nine games as a true freshman at wide receiver and also returned punts for the Razorbacks. His performance earned him a spot on the All-SEC freshman team and the returner spot on the All-SEC second team. He became Arkansas’ No. 1 receiver in 2020 and was the team’s best wideout and was All-SEC second team once again.

This season, Burks posted 1,104 receiving yards on 66 catches with 11 touchdowns. He also added 112 yards rushing. The SEC named him as a member of the All-SEC first-team.

Burks had seven receptions for 129 yards and a touchdown in Arkansas’ victory over Missouri, his last game as a Razorback. The game was his sixth 100-yard receiving game of the season, which set an Arkansas single-season record. He caught a 52-yard touchdown in the win, and the score was his 11th of the season, which ties him for second all-time in Arkansas history. Burks also had a 43-yard reception, giving him an SEC-leading 20 receptions of at least 20 yards, and also reached 1,000 yards on the year.