NBA or NFL? Evaluating the potential future for NC State star DJ Burns

DJ Burns has taken March Madness over with how he and NC State have performed in the postseason to both win the ACC Tournament and make the Final Four. Still, while his basketball career is currently at an all-time high, some have started to wonder if his sports career will eventually end up on the gridiron rather than the court.

Jim Nagy, Director of the Senior Bowl, spoke with On3’s Andy Staples on Tuesday and, at one point, discussed Burns. This came after Nagy had shared that NFL teams had begun to shown genuine interest in Burns. He said it wasn’t a joke as he explained how it was something that he, and, obviously, scouts, have noticed.

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“Well, I certainly didn’t mean to create a stir on social media, Andy. It was not an April Fools joke. It’s a sickness, man. Like, as most football guys, I’m not alone. You’re watching a big, 275-pound dude with nimble feet and soft hands, really skilled. That’s where your mind goes, man,” Nagy said. “Like, what could this guy be? So, look, maybe he has got an NBA career. I don’t know – I’m not an NBA scout. I don’t know what the future is for this young man. But it was just intriguing”

“I put the initial one out and, yeah, I got, like, three texts back. They were like, ‘Yeah, we’re thinking the same thing,'” said Nagy. “Then, today after it really blew up, a buddy of mine, who lives in the research triangle area that scouts for a team, was like, ‘Man, you totally blew this thing for me!’. Like, his hope was that NC State got knocked out really early. Then he was just going to slide down the street and work DJ out, try to do it privately. But now this thing has kind of blown up.”

Nagy isn’t suggesting that Burns could drop basketball for football to have a shot in the NFL this fall. There are still plenty of questions and it might be just too unlikely in the end. However, at least from a development standpoint, he and others think that he’d have a real chance to make it in the future.

“Again, it’s one of those things. A lot of things have to line up for this guy,” Nagy said. “Maybe it’s far-fetched. I don’t know.”

“It’s probably a developmental thing. It’s good to hear that he has at least put pads on at one point in his life. But, yeah, you’ve got to get him in the weight room. I mean it would be a two or three year process,” Nagy said. “Nobody is watching these games thinking, you know, DJ is going to be out on an NFL field next fall on Sundays. But, shoot, in two years from now? Who knows what you have.”

Burns is in his sixth season of college basketball after spending time at Tennessee, Winthrop, and NC State. In 164 games, he has averaged 12.6 points and 4.2 rebounds while shooting 57.4% from the floor. This incredible, nine-game stretch for the Wolfpack has been by far the most notable of that with averages of 16.6 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 64.4% shooting for Burns.

With that said, Burns’ body, while it has garnered him attention, may not necessarily be the build that can make it in the association. That’s why Staples is at least intrigued at the overall thought as he, at his size, may actually have a more lucrative future in football than in basketball

“This is where it’s interesting. I wonder if he will at least explore it afterward. DJ is not, like, a prototypical NBA body. Like, DJ has a future in professional basketball as a 6’9″ guy with agility, touch, and great passing. But he might not be a guy who sticks on an NBA roster. He might be a guy who makes seven figures playing in Europe every year,” Staples said. “Here’s my thing. Like, if you can be the number eight or nine guy on an NBA roster? That is better than, like, 85% of the jobs in the NFL because of the CBA and how much money they make. But if you can be a cornerstone left tackle in the NFL? That’s one of the jobs that’s as good, especially if you maybe can’t make it into the NBA.”

“I always thought Zion Williamson would be the greatest offensive tackle who ever played if he had decided to go that route. Like, he could carry 315 pounds, look amazing, and there’s nobody that explosive at that weight – nobody in the world who would be that explosive at that weight,” recalled Staples. “But, DJ? Like, you put him in a football weight program. I’m thinking 6’7, 325 and still moving like a ballerina?”

Burns is focused on Phoenix first at the moment before even considering his future in any sport, let alone a different one than basketball. Staples, like several others, are fascinated by the thought of it, though, even if he does end up sticking to hoops for his career.

“I hope DJ at least kind of explores it. It’s funny because, even if he doesn’t play in the NBA, he can have a lucrative professional basketball career,” Staples said. “I imagine DJ will be just fine but, again, I would love to see it.”