Bills invite ultra-talented, former 3rd-round WR to minicamp tryout

Fans have seen this story before . . . but, maybe this time it will work out differently?

Maybe?

Probably not, but it’s worth a shot!

So, who am I referring to?

Well, I’m not talking about Duke Williams, Andy Isabella, Chase Claypool, Elijah Moore or any of the other countless retreads Buffalo has tried trotting out to compete at the back-half of the roster at receiver in seasons of the past, but the newest one could be the best of the bunch.

Of course, this player also still needs to actually . . . you know . . . grab a roster spot.

And, that can only happen IF he garners a contract offer from the team following next week’s rookie minicamp tryout.

Confused? Let me explain, guys.

Meet Jermaine Burton — an ultra-talented wideout who is a former 2024 third-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals.

Yes, you read that right — a 2024 third-round.

How is that even possible you might ask?

Well, there are numerous reasons for his sudden departure from the Bengals, but most notably the former Georgia Bulldog and Alabama Crimson Tide standout had quite a few off-the-field “issues” during his brief time in Cincinnati, which seemed to follow him from his time in college as there were some red flags surrounding Burton as a prospect coming out in the draft two years ago . . . but, there’s also no denying his talent between the lines.

The final straw for his stint with the Bengals seemingly came last season when the 6-foot, 196-pound receiver was subsequently released after being suspended — ironically — for the team’s matchup with the Bills back on December 7th in Week 14 last year  . . . crazy, right?

Well, now Burton is hoping to make a comeback with the very team he was about to face before being disciplined last season.

It’s funny how life works sometimes, isn’t it?

Especially in the NFL.

So, why should you be interested in Burton making it out of minicamp?

For starters — his athletic profile is quite intriguing.

At the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, Burton ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds, while also registering a 10-yard split of 1.53 seconds — signaling the Calabasas, California, native’s good initial burst off the line when the pads are on.

But, the impressive numbers didn’t stop there.

Burton also posted a 38.5” vertical jump and an 11’-1” broad jump — just two inches shy of fellow former Alabama standout and future NFL Hall-of-Fame wideout Julio Jones’ jump at the 2011 combine.

Yeah . . . Burton’s got the chops to cut it athletically — CLEARLY.

It’s seemingly always just been a matter of “keeping his head on straight,” so to speak.

Can he do it? I don’t know. 

Some of the allegations against him in the past aren’t anything to take lightly.

But, if he can redeem himself as a person, then the former IMG Academy attendee can surely redeem himself as a player on the football field.

His talent is through the roof. 

I mean, there IS a reason he was the 80th overall pick coming out of college.

And, even if he does have just four receptions for 107 yards and no touchdowns to his name in 14 career regular season NFL games — which all came in his rookie year in 2024 after he was inactive for every game last year prior to his release in December — Burton did have 156 receiving yards and two touchdowns in his first NFL preseason, and he also had quite a bit of college production across his time with two different programs.

In his two years prior to Alabama at the University of Georgia — which included enjoying a national championship victory with current Bills running back James Cook as Bulldog teammates back in 2021 — Burton registered 53 total receptions for 901 yards and seven touchdowns (26-496-4 in ‘21) before deciding to join the Crimson Tide in 2022. 

He also added four carries for 50 rushing yards in his true freshman season with Georgia.

From there, the former Under Armour All-American and four-star recruit finished his two seasons with Georgia’s SEC counterparts by recording 79 receptions for 1,475 yards and 15 total touchdowns.

As a senior in 2023, Burton registered career-highs in receiving yards (798) and receiving touchdowns (8) on just 39 receptions (!!!), giving him the SEC lead for yards-per-reception average that season at an astonishing rate of 20.6 yards per catch.

In longtime NFL scouting analyst Lance Zierlein’s pre-draft profile of Burton, he compared the well-rounded wideout to a certain former Saints receiver, who just so happened to spend time under the tutelage of new Bills offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael Jr. back in 2013 and 2014 in New Orleans.

Any guesses?

No.

Well, it was Kenny Stills, who finished his nine-year NFL career with 316 total receptions for 4,911 yards and 38 touchdowns.

Stills’ best season? 

In 2014 with Carmichael Jr. as his offensive coordinator.

Hmmm, interesting what connections you can find when doing a little digging, isn’t it?

And, although Burton certainly isn’t comparable to Stills as a player at this stage of his young NFL career — he is still just 24 years old, after all — there’s no denying that he has that type of ability within him . . . possibly even more.

His solid, thick build allows him to play through contact, and his speed gives him the ability to simply just blow by defenders if they aren’t able to get their hands on him.

In short — Burton. Is. A. Playmaker.

Heck, he scored a touchdown every 5.7 receptions in college — that’s insane — and I’m not being hyperbolic.

But, that talent has yet to be unleashed in the NFL, and Burton has been waiting to burst onto the scene like he did on the Tuscaloosa campus just three short years ago.

You’d think there’d be a sense of urgency from the wideout with his NFL hopes appearing to slowly slip away from the grasp of his near 10” hands . . . wouldn’t you?

We’ll have to see . . . but, if this quote from Burton back in 2024 on the Bengals Booth Podcast is any indication, then somewhere deep down inside he knows what he needs to do.

He just needs to do it.

“I could lock in more on my details and the things that I did wrong, but it’s all about how you handle it. It’s all about what it means to you,” Burton said in the interview. 

“And, I feel like I need to do a better job of showing how much this means to me.”

With that in mind, here’s to hoping Burton can finally make good on his God-given ability in the league, and put his name back into the headlines . . . in a positive manner this time.

For the most part, Bills Mafia believes in second chances, so they’ll be rooting for you next week in hopes of seeing you on the other side later this spring, Jermaine.

Good luck.

For now, though, stay tuned for more on this developing story right here at the Buffalo FAMbase blog.

Writer’s note: Bills Mafia, I truly hope you’re enjoying my work so far this offseason, especially the recent NFL Draft articles. If you do, please consider giving me a follow over on X (formerly Twitter). My handle on that platform is @JGreen_PRsports. I’m really trying to get my work out there, so to anyone who reads and shares — THANK YOU. It is greatly appreciated.