Bengals rookie WR Jermaine Burton proving pre-draft knocks were legit

Jermaine Burton showed a lot of dynamic talent as a wide receiver at both Georgia and Alabama, enough that he was featured on many a top-50 overall prospects list for the 2024 NFL Draft. Yet Burton fell into the middle of the third round in part due to some pre-draft questions about his professionalism and work ethic.

The Cincinnati Bengals are learning the hard way that those pre-draft knocks sure seem legit. A report from Paul Dehner of The Athletic indicates that Burton has been a major disappointment thus far.

“Cincinnati did run into issues getting Burton on board and up to professional standards quickly,” Dehner writes. And then it gets worse for Burton, who many expected to play extensively as a rookie in Cincinnati.

“The Bengals won’t put him out there — or even make him active on gameday — until they feel comfortable he’s preparing in meetings, will be in the right spots and can be trusted by the quarterback.”

Additionally, there is the perception that Burton “has not been in the vicinity of where he needs to be as a professional.”

He’s got time to recover, but it sure seems like a badly missed opportunity by Burton.