Jermaine Burton, WR Alabama: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Burton was a four-star recruit from Calabasas High School in Calabasas, Calif. in the class of 2020

Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton is an incredibly smooth and explosive wide receiver. His physical talent and tape easily warrant a top 100 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but red flags could result in him falling to Day 3. He could be a steal if drafted to the right environment.

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Jermaine Burton, WR Alabama: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Senior wide receiver from Calabasas, Calif.

Background: Burton was a four-star recruit from Calabasas High School in Calabasas, Calif. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 82 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 127 for Rivals, and No. 77 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 99th in the nation with an 84 grade out of 100. As a high school junior, Burton totaled 40 receptions for 863 yards and 14 touchdowns. He produced 14 receptions for 332 yards and three touchdowns at IMG Academy as a sophomore and 15 receptions for 361 yards and two touchdowns at Hapeville Charter High School as a freshman. Burton was selected for the 2020 Under Armour All-America Game. He originally committed to the Miami Hurricanes before switching to the LSU Tigers. Burton changed his mind again, deciding to join the Georgia Bulldogs. He transferred from Georgia to Alabama in 2022.

Injuries & Off-Field: Missed 2021 Auburn game, struck a female fan while walking off the field following Alabama’s 2022 loss to Tennessee, sick and missed 2023 Kentucky game, suffered a minor lower body injury vs. Michigan (2023)

Awards: N/A

Pros: Experience playing in the slot and out wide, very little wasted movement in release, smooth mover, mixes route tempo, burst off the line, explosive testing matches film, speed to take the top off, speed to blow past off-man defenders, stacks corners in soft-shoe press, punishes defenders for taking poor angles in coverage, finds holes between the defense’s second and third levels, finds and sits in space, gears down quickly, fast feet, rare ability to stop and then re-accelerate to top speed, sharply snaps off his stem on post routes, sharp cuts with speed when working vertically, sets up slant routes well, lethal on the stutter-go, manipulates the safety’s leverage to create space on corner routes, splits bracket coverage up the seam, works to give his QB a target on scramble drills, large hands, only four drops in college, excellent adjustments to the ball mid-air, highpoints and spins for back shoulder fades, makes catches through contact, accelerates past defenders with the ball in his hands, spin move

Cons: Limited special teams experience, off-field questions, needs to keep a cool head, penalized three times in 2022 and 2023, build lacks high-end traits, heavy doses of free releases, release package needs to diversify, needs to refine hands vs. press coverage, struggled to get off jams in press, route tree is limited at shallower depths, routes can be rounded and drift downfield, drifts on outs and digs, needs to be more aggressive coming to meet the ball, not the quickest or snappiest route runner on comebacks and curls, limited hip sink at the top of his routes, doesn’t leave himself enough room on the sideline to make catches, inconsistent tapping or dragging toes on sideline, trouble navigating crowded MOF, not very elusive in the open field, lacks play strength to break significant number of tackles, motor is inconsistent blocking, minimal development as a blocker

Overview: Burton has experience lining up in the slot and out wide, although he primarily did the latter in college. There is little wasted movement in his release as he’s a very smooth mover. Burton has excellent burst off the line but also mixes tempo early in routes to manipulate defenders and create opportunities for plays further downfield. He is an explosive athlete with the speed to take the top off defenses. Burton flies past defenders in off-man coverage and quickly stacks cornerbacks in soft-shoe press. He also punishes deeper defenders like safeties for underestimating his speed and taking poor angles to their coverage assignments. The California native finds and sits in space between the defense’s second and third levels against zone coverages. He also scrambles when the play breaks down to give his quarterback a receiving option. Burton uses his fast feet to decelerate suddenly and has the rare ability to re-accelerate to his top speed quickly from a near total stop. Almost all of his vertical routes feature sharp breaks at the tops of the stems. The former Georgia transfer sets up slants well, sells defenders on his stutter-go, manipulates safeties to create open space on corner routes, and fires between bracket coverage up the seam. He has large, strong hands that don’t drop the ball. Burton makes excellent adjustments to the ball while it’s in the air and makes catches through contact. However, he doesn’t leave himself enough room on the sideline to make catches and doesn’t drag his toes. The former four-star recruit accelerates past defenders after the catch but isn’t elusive in the open field and lacks the play strength to break many tackles. His motor and technical development as a blocker are disappointing. Burton needs to keep a cool head to avoid drawing penalties. He comes with significant character questions that detract from his amazing talent. Burton’s build lacks high-end traits, including the arm length and size to battle press coverage. He benefited from plenty of free releases at Alabama and doesn’t have the most versatile release package or hand usage to combat jams. Defenders have success hounding him at the line of scrimmage. Burton’s shallow route tree is limited, and his out and dig routes need refining. His outs and digs can be rounded and drift downfield. He needs to be more aggressive working back to the football so defenders can’t undercut his routes. Limited hip sink defangs his comebacks and curls.

Overall, Burton is a smooth mover who executes sharp cuts and possesses high-end burst and speed to stack corners and stretch the field vertically, but his attention to detail and precision as a route runner must improve. Burton also comes with questions about his attitude and potential fit in the locker room. He won’t be an ideal match for some organizations.

Role & Scheme Fit: Z receiver in a vertical passing offense

Round Projection: Mid Second to Early Third

Size: 6'0 1/4", 196 lbs. (NFL Combine)

Submitted: 04-04-24