Scouting Report: Jermaine Burton (WR) - Alabama
Sales Pitch: "Talented deep threat with the ball skills and speed to win vertically. Off-field concerns and lack of size may drop his draft stock but possesses underrated route running and dependable hands that create a well rounded profile for an NFL Z."
Athletic Profile
Height: 6’ 0”
Weight: 196 lbs
Arm Length: 31”
Hand Size: 9 7/8”
40 Yard Dash: 4.45
10 Yard Split: 1.59
Vertical: 38.5”
Broad Jump: 11’ 1“
Short Shuttle: N/A
3-Cone: N/A
Age: 22
Relative Athletic Score: 9.09 / 10.00
Statistics
Career: 132 REC - 2,376 YDS - 18.0 YPR - 23 TD
2023: 39 REC - 798 YDS - 20.5 YPR - 8 TD
Strengths
Long legged frame with excellent straight line speed
Displays good spatial awareness versus zone
Excellent separator off the vertical route tree
Burst and quickness to win vs press and off coverage
Ball skills and leaping ability to win in jump ball scenarios
3% career drop rate
Big hands that attack the ball outside his frame
Excellent body control in traffic and on the sideline
Tracks deep balls over his shoulder very well
Weaknesses
Lean build with short arms
High hipped frame with some stiffness in his middle half
Potential off-field red flags
Can struggles with physicality at the line of scrimmage and at the top of his routes
Burst diminishes when asked to make sharp 90 degree cuts
Struggles to drop his hips after he opens up his stride
Poor YAC production
Lacks size to be an impact blocker
Summary
Jermaine Burton is a dynamic deep threat with tremendous ball skills and underrated route running. The former 4-Star recruit from California spent his first two seasons of college at Georgia, before transferring to Alabama for the 2022 & 2023 seasons. Burton does his best work on the vertical route tree. He has the burst to quickly close ground vs off-coverage and the deep speed to win down the field. He does a good job using his stems and releases to attack the blind spots of defenders and get into advantageous positions. He creates the majority of his separation on one cut routes that take advantage of his explosive first step. Burton displays excellent ball tracking skills and body control to adjust to deep balls. He has dependable hands at all levels of the field, his 3% career drop rate being one of the lowest in the class. Burton has a leaner frame and can struggle with physicality at the line of scrimmage and at the top of his routes. However he shows solid hand work to keep his frame clean and weaponizes his excellent speed to quickly win off the line of scrimmage and stack defenders. Burton possess underrated route running for a “deep threat” showing good deception and clean footwork out his breaks but is less effective on horizontal breaking routes. He has a high hipped frame with long legs and his average flexibility can limit his burst on sharp changes of direction. Despite his athletic gifts Burton does not create much with the ball after the catch. There is a natural inverse relationship in terms of statistical output for deep threats and YAC but he does not displays the strength to break tackles or the change of direction skills to elude defenders. Burton projects best as a starting Z-WR in a vertical passing attack. He has the requisite athleticism and technique to win on the outside but will be at his most effective in the slot where he can quickly get up to top speed with free releases. Questions off the field and a leaner frame may drop his stock in a loaded class but he is one of the best deep threats in the draft and has legit ball skills and route running chops to be a complete WR at the next level.