The No. 11 seed NC State Wolfpack pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the tournament with a stunning 76-64 Elite Eight victory over the No. 4 seed Duke Blue Devils.
This was thanks in large part (quite literally) to a massive performance by NC State big man DJ Burns, who dropped a team-high 29 points on 13-of-19 shooting to lead his squad to a Final Four berth.
This is exactly why Burns has grabbed headlines of late, which includes a potential career shift to the NFL.
NC State Wolfpack’s DJ Burns Opens Up About Potential NFL Move
According to multiple reports, several NFL teams have been keeping an eye on Burns as a potential recruit. This doesn’t really come as a huge shock considering how the 23-year-old does have a built fit for an offensive linesman. Burns hasn’t exactly propelled himself to the top of the NBA mock draft boards, and it’s possible that he won’t even make it to the pros.
In a recent interview with Dan Patrick, the North Carolina star acknowledged that his plan is to play in the NBA once his college career comes to an end. When asked if shifting to the NFL is an option, Burns did not shut the door on that prospect:
“I’d probably explore some other options with basketball before all of that, but I’m not a closed-minded person,” Burns said.
"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
Burns did imply that he would prioritize playing professional basketball elsewhere if his NBA dream does not come to fruition. However, he also isn’t shying away from the idea of joining the NFL someday if his path leads him in that direction.
According to Burns, though, he has had no direct contact with any NFL team as of the moment.
Burns has a bigger fish to fry at the moment, however. This comes in the form of a highly-anticipated Final Four showdown against Zach Edey and the No. 1 seed Purdue Boilermakers. That should be a good one.
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