Philadelphia Eagles: 4 theories that support promoting Deontay Burnett
By Hunter Doyle
2. Simply put, the Philadelphia Eagles have a diamond in the rough.
Look back to his days at USC if you want more evidence. Burnett was one of Sam Darnold’s favorite weapons. In his junior season, he was one of the best slot receivers in college football collecting 1,114 yards and nine touchdowns on 86 grabs.
His best performance that year came in the Cotton Bowl. USC faced off against an Ohio State secondary that allowed just under 200 passing yards per game, good for a top-15 finish among Power Five schools. That secondary included the likes of Denzel Ward, Damon Arnette, Jordan Fuller, and a younger Jeff Okudah. Burnett still caught 12 passes for 139 yards in a tough loss. One year prior to that, in 2016, he racked up 622 yards and seven touchdowns on 56 receptions.
He also had a career day in the Rose Bowl versus Penn State with 13 catches for 164 yards and three touchdowns. The only man who rivaled him that day was Penn State’s Chris Godwin who had 187 yards and two touchdowns on nine catches.
One of Burnett’s touchdowns tied up the game at 49-49 with 1:20 remaining on the clock in what ended up being a 52-49 USC victory. Like Ohio State in 2017, Penn State also held opponents to an average of less than 200 passing yards per game, so Burnett wasn’t facing any scrubs. When he’s on the field, results happen. All he needs is more playing time in the NFL so he can prove that.