2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Jermaine Burton

Prospect Summary:

Georgia has become the top program in college football over the past handful of years, and while the team has had a lot of success, the staff also has stocked the roster full of very talented players who have serious character issues and off-the-field problems. Players like Devonte Wyatt, Jalen Carter, Adam Anderson, George Pickens and others have made headlines for getting in trouble, while some bad character players ended up transferring to other schools. That happened at the wide receiver position, with Adonai Mitchell leaving for Texas and Jermaine Burton going to Alabama.

In his final season of college football, Burton was a big-time playmaker for the Crimson Tide, averaging 21 yards per catch. He caught 39 passes for 798 yards and eight touchdowns. During 2022, his first season with Alabama, Burton made 40 receptions for 677 yards and seven scores. At Georgia, Burton contributed in 2021 (26-497-5) and 2020 (27-404-3).

For the NFL, Burton has the potential to be a dangerous receiver. He is an extremely fast wideout who displays excellent separation skills. With his smooth speed and excellent athleticism, Burton is a natural route-runner who maintains his speed through the route with a serious burst out of the break. That combination leads to him being extremely challenging for cornerbacks to run with, and he is a dynamic talent who will get open for his quarterback.

Burton’s ability to get open alongside his speed make him a deep threat who can score on any reception. He stretches defenses over the top and can burn defensive backs deep down the field. Thanks to his versatile size, speed and explosivity, Burton could work on the outside and out of the slot.

Burton has superb body control, agility, and strong hands. Given his leaping ability and body control, he is a weapon on the sideline and in the end zone to come down with a contested catch.

Given Burton’s dynamic skill set and playmaking ability, it leads to questions as to why he didn’t produce more at the college level and never cracked 1,000 yards in a single season. During his junior year, he had an elite college quarterback in Bryce Young to work with as well. Team sources from around the NFL said the reason for Burton not producing up to his potential was very poor character issues. Those led to him being in the dog house with both coaching staffs, and Burton’s character problems played a part in him not executing on the field, with frequent missed assignments. Burton’s character is a huge problem to a number of NFL teams, so it would not be surprising if some have dropped him off their draft boards. Burton is going to have to ace his pre-draft interviews and visits to keep stricter teams from removing him from considering him in the 2024 NFL Draft.

That being said, sources from multiple NFL teams really like Burton as a player. Some said they believed he would be a first-round pick if it weren’t for his character issues. Others have him as a second-day player but really like his tape. Burton is a wild card for the early rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, but the character issues are likely to cause him to slide.