According to The Athletic’s Shams Charania, Burns has lost 45 pounds over the last six weeks.

The 6-feet-9-inches tall Burns, who was listed at 275 pounds for the Wolfpack last season, helped lead NC State to the ACC Tournament Championship and the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament; dazzling basketball fans across the globe with precise play in the post.

DALLAS, TEXAS – MARCH 31: DJ Burns Jr. #30 of the NC State Wolfpack moves the ball against Mark Mitchell #25 of the Duke Blue Devils during the second half in the Elite 8 round of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at American Airlines Center on March 31, 2024, in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Lance King/Getty Images)

However, in recent years, the NBA has largely gone away from the archetype of the large post-scoring center as teams prioritize three-point shooting, defensive versatility and the ability to space the floor.

Due to the doubts on his prospects as an NBA player, many fans and even NFL scouts and players began to speculate on whether or not Burns could make the switch to professional football.

Jared Kirksey, the Carolina Panthers director of college scouting, tells Darin Gantt of Panthers.com that “maybe there’s a chance he could play in the NFL.”

Burns poured cold water on the concept during the NCAA Tournament; telling Dan Patrick that he would “probably pursue some other options with basketball first before all of that but I’m not a closed-minded person.”

Most mock draft projections don’t have Burns being selected with any of the 60 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. However, most of those projections were made before his drastic bodily transformation.

He would likely have to earn his way onto an NBA roster by competing in the Summer League and G-League and trying to earn a two-way contract with a team if he were not selected in the draft.