Bengals Select Alabama WR Jermaine Burton In Third Round Of 2024 NFL Draft

Looking to give quarterback Joe Burrow’s passing game some more downfield juice, the Bengals on Friday night selected Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round with the 80th pick.

A battle-tested big-play artist after four seasons as a starter in the SEC, the 6-foot, 196-pound Burton averaged 18 yards per catch playing for both Alabama and Georgia. He led national champion Georgia in yards receiving in 2021 before transferring to the Crimson Tide.

The man making the announcement in Detroit just happened to be T.J. Houshmandzadeh, Burton’s trainer and the fifth-leading receiver in Bengals history with 507 catches. He was fired up about Burton joining three-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, another draft prospect he worked with and ended up turning out brilliantly for the Bengals.

“When they handed me the card, I couldn’t believe it,” Houshmandzadeh said. “I face-timed (Burton) and we were both yelling.”

Here is Houshmandzadeh’s scouting report:

“Explosive. Tough. Explosive. Fast. His route running has improved a ton. If he goes to Cincinnati and locks in the way he’s supposed to, you’re talking about explosiveness on the outside. Wow. Him and Ja’Marr. That’s explosiveness at its finest.”

Burton has been working on the outside with Houshmandzadeh. He’s not sure if Burton can play the slot, but he knows the Bengals no longer have Tyler Boyd in there.

“Now that I see what he has in Cincinnati with him and Tee and Ja’Marr, we’re going to start working the slot the next few weeks. Working on being savvy in space. That’s next on the agenda,” Houshmandzadeh said.

Burton was thrilled.

“It’s honestly amazing having T.J. train me throughout these last few years even going into college. Working with him is honestly great,” Burton said. “Just to know his history and his background with the game of football and his knowledge and see the way he thinks. The way he puts it into the drills and the way he talks to you and his terminology really helps me. We also developed a relationship to the point where we talk about other things like maturity and growth.”