The Cincinnati Bengals used the first of their two third-round picks in the 2024 NFL draft to select Alabama wide receiver Jermaine Burton with the No. 80 overall choice.
Burton has a checkered past involving incidents both on and off the field when he lost his cool, which is likely a reason why someone with his talent was still available when the Bengals were choosing in the third round.
Drafting a player with multiple incidents like those creates some risk, but Burton does seem to think he has moved on from them and has become a better person.
“It was something I had to move past. It was a very emotional, passionate game,” Burton said when asked about an incident in which he appeared to hit a female fan moments after a game against Tennessee in 2022. “A lot was on the line throughout the season, and I moved on from that and learned from situations like that. We played LSU two weeks later and the same thing happened, and I was one of the first guys back in the locker room, so I clearly separated myself and understood what was at stake and didn’t want to take the opportunity for granted.”
Burton does have a small connection with Cincinnati since he was trained by former Bengals WR T.J. Houshmandzadeh. It was Housh himself who announced that the team would be taking Burton during the draft.
“It’s honestly amazing having T.J. train me the past few years, even going into college,” Burton said. “Working with him is honestly great. Just to know his history, his background with the game of football, his knowledge on it and to see the way he thinks. The way he puts it into the drills, the way he talks to you and his terminology, it really helps me. We also developed a relationship to the point where we talked about other things — just life things and a lot of maturity and growth.”
