DJ Burns is heading to the Final Four, but the NFL could be in his future
Basketball is the only sport on DJ Burns' mind right now, after he scored 29 points to lead North Carolina State to an upset win over Duke and a trip to the Final Four. But football could be the sport in Burns' future.
Burns, who is listed at 6-foot-9 and 275 pounds, is not considered a great NBA draft prospect, but he has the body type that could make him an ideal candidate to make the transition to football.
It's happened before. Antonio Gates played basketball but not football in college and became one of the best tight ends in the NFL. More recently, the Cowboys drafted Rico Gathers out of Baylor, where he only played basketball, despite the fact that he hadn't played football since middle school. Gathers didn't have much of an NFL career, but he managed to last long enough to play in 15 regular-season games.
Burns told Rich Eisen that he hasn't played football since he was a defensive end and tight end in middle school, and that his No. 1 goal is to play in the NBA. But it's easy to envision that after Burns' Final Four run ends, NFL teams will be urging him to give football a try.
