Draft Analysis: Jermaine Burton

April 21, 2024 /
  • Height: 6’0″
  • Weight: 196 lb.
  • College: Alabama
  • Tape watched: Arkansas, Tennessee, Ole Miss, LSU
  • NFL Comparison: Santonio Holmes

Pros

  • Tenacity

Jermaine Burton plays with the edge and competitiveness you want from an alpha receiver. His fiery style inspires the offense at times and creates much needed momentum.

  • Hands

One of the premier hand catchers in the class, Burton possesses some impressive consistency. He boasts an impressive careerbcontested catch rate of 52% and only four drops. He makes some spectacular sideline grabs and adjusts well in the air to passes.

  • Explosiveness

When he wants to, Burton is a firecracker. He has elite level explosiveness. Burton impresses how he bursts off the line of scrimmage. His route breaks are sudden and snappy. The separation he creates and maintains is very promising.

Midline

  • Route Running

Inconsistencies are worrisome with Jermaine Burton’s route running. Burton is very good outside the numbers, running comebacks and out routes. He has a great presence towards the sideline. In zone coverage, he can push his stem too deep to safeties. His backside routes can be lazy, prompting desperation efforts to create separation when plays break down.

Burton has really fluid hips to pair with his acceleration skills. He runs one of the best posts in the class. When he is on, the ceiling is high.

Burton fights through this contact really well at the top of the screen.
  • Release

Another area of inconsistency for Burton. Way too often, Burton is slow to line up and lazy firing off the ball. I like his foot fire and hand usage when he is committed.

Cons

  • YAC

There is nothing to write home about here. Virtually no production after the catch in college. Burton is a quick tackle.

  • Effort

A lot of Burton’s aforementioned inconsistencies come down to variance in his play to play effort. He needs to channel his passion and fire into every play. His blocking ability is unusable in the NFL currently as he rarely gets hands on his defenders.

Overview

Jermaine Burton is oozing with potential. He checks so many boxes that prolific NFL receivers check. He is very good at creating separation due to the elite athlete he is.

The problem with Jermaine Burton starts with inconsistencies and a lack of high level success and results in college. I think an NFL team can tap into his potential and come away with a steal on Day 2 of the draft.