Getty Image / Lance King
Every year during March Madness we get some breakout stars that all of America seems to love. This year, it’s North Carolina State center DJ Burns that has taken the country by storm.
DJ Burns is simply massive. He’s listed at 6-foot-9, 275lbs, but he looks much bigger than that. Despite his size, he moves pretty well and has flawless footwork in the post.
Sadly for Burns, there just isn’t really a market in the NBA for guys his size and weight anymore unless they’re dead-eye shooters or explosive athletes. Neither of those describes DJ Burns, so he’s unlikely to have much of an NBA career.
But, there is a sport that loves guys with DJ Burns’ athletic skill set, and that’s the NFL. He has nearly prototypical size and feet to play offensive tackle. Plus, plenty of basketball stars have made the successful transition to the football field. Legendary tight ends Antonio Gates, Tony Gonzalez, and Jimmy Graham are three who come to mind that made the switch.
On Tuesday, DJ Burns seemed somewhat open to the idea of possibly trying football in the future. He is out of eligibility after this year.
"I'd probably pursue some other options with basketball first before all of that but I'm not a closed minded person."
-DJ Burns Jr. on the possibility of playing in the #NFL if things don't work out with the #NBA pic.twitter.com/bywEG1pu8i
— Dan Patrick Show (@dpshow) April 2, 2024
But, at Final Four Media Day on Thursday ahead of the team’s Saturday matchup with Purdue, he seemed pretty adamant that a helmet and pads were not in his future.
NC State star DJ Burns says he has "zero" interest in playing football despite reported interest from NFL teams. pic.twitter.com/wEbOXBRdu3
— The Sporting News (@sportingnews) April 4, 2024
That’s a shame, honestly, because I think he could have a chance to play in the NFL after a few years of development. The natural traits are the biggest thing, and he has traits that only a handful of people have.
For now, he’s staying focused on trying to bring Cinderella story North Carolina State all the way to their first National Championship since 1983.
To get to the Final Four, they’ve had to run off nine consecutive wins in the ACC Tournament and NCAA Tournament. They were firmly outside the bubble and had to win the conference tournament to get in.