NC State basketball has arguably the breakout star of the NCAA Tournament.
While Purdue's Zach Edey entered March Madness as a known quantity, it has been 6-foot-9, 275-pound DJ Burns who has turned heads for his deft footwork inside and his ability to control the paint for the Wolfpack. Burns' success has been a driving component of NC State's nine-game win streak and he is the face of the Wolfpack's first Final Four appearance since 1983, which of course resulted in a national championship.
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One of the questions that has emerged for Burns, who transferred from Winthrop and has played at NC State for the past two seasons, is what his post-tournament career will look like. Burns largely isn't projected as an NBA draft pick in the future, but some have gotten to speculating on a career outside of basketball.
Specifically, pundits have questioned if a football career could make sense for the Wolfpack center.
Football, of course, requires an entirely different skillset than the one Burns has shown to this point, something noted by Edey himself when college basketball's best player for the past two years was interviewed about his pending matchup with Burns. "I think it's kind of unfair the way people treat [Burns]," Edey told media about the conversation that surrounds Burns, per John Fanta. "I think people kind of treat him like he's a sideshow or — he's a really good basketball player. Don't get that mistaken. And we're gonna give him that respect and treat him like that because he's earned it."
Burns has some history with football, but not at especially competitive levels. More than that, however, there's one major question that would dictate any kind of sport switch: Does he want to do it? The answer to that seems to be a resounding no. Here's what to know about Burns' future, and why football doesn't look like it is going to be a part of it:
Did DJ Burns play football?
We've seen basketball stars get scooped up by NFL teams before. "Antonio Gates and Jimmy Graham used to play basketball" was a longstanding meme among NFL fans, because broadcasts absolutely loved that tidbit. But Burns only played football until eighth grade. When Winthrop's Pat Kelsey offered him a basketball scholarship, he immediately quit, per ESPN. Per Burns, he was a defensive end and a tight end when he did play.
Gates played high school football at Central High School in Detroit, whereas Graham at least had a year with Miami when he played for the football team in his graduate year.
Will DJ Burns play in NFL?
Burns seemingly has no interest in a sport switch at this phase of his life, and there's no reason to doubt him at this point. The center was resilient when asked if he has any interest in giving the NFL a whirl:
"Everybody needs a story to keep it interesting," he ascertained about the coverage around him, per ESPN. "Maybe there was too much downtime for people to think or something, but I ain't playing no football."
To reiterate, Burns said it isn't going to happen.
“Zero,” he told media of his interest in the swap, per The Athletic. “I mean … yeah, zero.”
NC State coach Kevin Keatts stood behind Burns' statement.
“Yeah, no way he’s going to play football,” Keatts said, per The Athletic. “I mean, listen, he’s got a great touch. He’s not that bully that you guys think. Listen, you spent some time with him? He’s a teddy bear off the court.”
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Will DJ Burns be drafted to the NBA?
Burns didn't have much juice behind being drafted to the NBA heading into the ACC Tournament, and although NC State's run has helped him to pick up some steam, it's still far from a sure deal. Burns, however, is optimistic.
"I think it helped a lot for sure," Burns said of the run's impact on his stock, per ESPN. "It got things going a little more than they were."
Burns isn't appearing in mocks yet. But a solid game against Edey and Purdue could continue to move the needle.
DJ Burns basketball stats
- Career: 12.6 points per game, 4.2 rebounds per game, 0.6 blocks per game, 1.5 assists per game
- 2023-24 season: 13 points per game, 4.1 rebounds per game, 0.6 blocks per game, 2.8 assists per game
- 2024 NCAA Tournament: 18.3 points per game, five rebounds per game, 0.8 blocks per game, 3.5 assists per game
When looking at Burns' stats, nothing truly jumps off the page in terms of aggregates. However, he does clear the eye-test. Burns has very good footwork and he can see the floor well from the high post. His drop step left multiple Duke defenders completely lost in the Elite Eight, thanks in no small part to its explosiveness.
The renaissance of that drop-step is part of Burns' gaudy tournament numbers. And it's the move he'll undoubtedly try to use to sell himself to NBA teams looking for a low post player. Much to the chagrin of NFL teams hoping they found they next big thing at offensive tackle.
