By now, Cincinnati Bengals fans know that hyped third-round rookie Jermaine Burton fell on draft day for a few reasons.
One of those reasons, Burton himself quickly addressed after being drafted.
Fast forward to OTAs and after some hyped workout sessions with Joe Burrow, Burton is again in the headlines — because Chad Johnson visited voluntary practices.
Asked about the advice he would give Burton, Chad told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com the following: “Lock in. This is your everything. This is your wife. This is your girlfriend. Everything. My first two years, I lived here. Ate it. Slept it. I submerged myself in it and eventually because of all the hard work, the results paid off year in and year out.”
Of course, Chad is the first to admit he’s a fan of Burton’s game, too, per Hobson:
“Nice. He’s a speedster. But that’s only half of it,” said Johnson after he spent some of the individual drills trying to strip the ball from him. “In a structured environment like this, I’m not going to say anything to him. I met him over at the hotel last night.”
For outsiders, it appears Burton has the talent to quickly contribute as a rookie and perhaps grow into even more by 2025, should the team lose Tee Higgins.
It seems safe to suggest that Chad feels the same way, which is something fans can take as a good sign.
