The 2026 NFL Draft gets started Thursday night in Pittsburgh. While Thursday night will only be the first round, Pittsburgh will host all seven rounds over three days.
Memphis will be watching the weekend coverage, and it’s likely that Travis Burke will be selected anywhere between the fourth and seventh rounds. If Burke is drafted over the weekend, it will be the second season the Tigers have had a player selected after Kobe Minor was drafted in the seventh round during the 2025 draft.
The offensive lineman was one of two Tigers invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in March.
Burke started his career at Gardner-Webb before transferring to FIU, where he started all 22 games over two years. He landed at Memphis for his redshirt senior season and immediately filled a hole at right tackle.
Burke made 11 starts for the Tigers before suffering a season-ending injury.
The right tackle boasted the best run-block and pass-block grades on Memphis’ offensive line, and he only allowed three sacks and eight hurries on 404 opportunities.
ESPN (Jordan Reid): No. 121 Pittsburgh Steelers (Round 4)
In ESPN’s seven-round mock draft, draft analyst Jordan Reid has Burke going to the Steelers in the fourth round. Pittsburgh brings in a new coaching staff, but it had a top 10 offensive line last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
The Steelers will bring back a buck of their offensive line next season, and it could be a good situation for Burke to be in an offensive line room where he can learn before being asked to be a big piece.
NFL.com (Chad Rueter): No. 227 Miami Dolphins (Round 7)
NFL’s Chad Rueter predicts Burke will be selected in the final round of the NFL draft at No. 227. The Dolphins are going through a lot of changes, and it’ll be interesting to see how they approach the draft.
Miami had one of the worst offensive lines in the league last season, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see them make the line a priority in the draft. Burke also grew up outside of Miami, so it would be a fun story to see him drafted by his hometown team.
Tankathon: No. 119 Carolina Panthers (Round 4)
Like ESPN, Tankathon’s mock draft has Burke coming off the board in the fourth round to the Panthers. Carolina had a top-20 offensive line a season ago, and it will be interesting to see if it wants to add depth on the offensive line in the middle of the draft.
Right tackle Taylor Moton had one of his best seasons a year ago, so it could be a good opportunity for Burke to learn behind an established starter.
The Panthers haven’t drafted an offensive lineman since the 2023 draft, taking guard Chandler Zavala in the fourth round, and there’s a chance that they could look to make a similar move in the fourth round this year.
CBS Sports: No. 161 Pittsburgh (Round 5)
Similar to ESPN, CBS Sports has Burke taken by the Steelers, but they have him being selected a round later in the fifth round. Pittsburgh has taken at least one offensive lineman in six of the last eight drafts, and most years, they have selected an offensive lineman in the middle rounds.