Cincinnati Bengals select Jermaine Burton in 3rd round of 2024 NFL Draft

Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton has been selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, taken with the No. 80 overall pick.

He’ll instantly provide some extra pop in the passing game.

Burton spent the last two years at Alabama after beginning his career at Georgia. He was productive and consistent across his four years in college, recording at least 25 catches for 400 yards in every single season.

He is coming off his most productive year yet, a 39-catch, 798-yard outing that saw Burton reach the end zone eight times.

In total in his career, Burton has logged 132 catches for 2,376 yards and 23 touchdowns. He has also added four carries for 50 yards out of the backfield, which included one 43-yard scamper.

That Burton was able to have so much success while playing in the SEC says a lot about how he projects to the next level. He’s a physical wideout who isn’t afraid to mix it up near the line of scrimmage when he needs to.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Jermaine Burton

NFL Draft analyst have somewhat mixed views on Burton, who checks in at 6 foot, 196 pounds.

The question marks for Burton seem to be how well his physical attributes will power him through early on as he develops more as a route-runner and irons out various routes that he wasn’t necessarily asked to run in college.

But there’s a lot to like, too.

NFL Network analyst Lance Zierlein had the following to say in evaluating Jermaine Burton:

“While the catch totals and yardage weren’t necessarily prolific, Burton’s tape is very appealing. He has pretty good size and plays bigger than he measures. He can fight through press, get physical at the break point and carve out space on 50/50 balls. Burton wasn’t asked to run an extended route tree, but he has the traits and ball skills to work all three levels against NFL cornerbacks.

“He caught a touchdown pass every 5.7 grabs during his college career, but he would have scored even more if not for some mistimed throws when he had opened the window wide. Burton’s athletic profile and ball skills create confidence that he can become a solid WR2/3 in the league.”