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Hey all, I'm back with part three (WR11-16) of my 2024 receiver evaluations and rankings. If you want to check out part one or part two, you can find them with the links below:
With that said, let’s get back to the rankings!
Roman Wilson, Michigan (WR11)
Height: 5’11”; Weight: 185 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 10 months
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 3/4 (Good Starter)
Comp: Sterling Shepard
- Hands: A-
- Route Running: B+
- Release: C
- Yards After Catch Potential: B
- Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B-
- Body Control/Ball Tracking: B
- Future role: B-
- RAS: A-
Strengths
There’s always one player who is a big riser with their Senior Bowl performance, and Roman Wilson is easily that player this year. Before the Senior Bowl, Wilson showed he was a great route runner with good use of head fakes and jabs to create quick separation and attack inside/outside. Wilson also used his speed to drive at safeties and off corners to back them off before cutting inside for an easier completion. Wilson didn’t run a lot of routes due to Michigan’s offense but showed he could handle any route at the Senior Bowl.
Wilson also has great hands with only a 2% drop/a single drop on 67 targets per PFF. Wilson plays with really good hand technique and does a good job catching the ball away from his body. Wilson also does a really good job tracking the ball in the air and extending to snatch the ball. Despite Wilson being primarily a slot guy, he can adjust to balls away from his frame and showed good concentration to follow balls through traffic.
With the ball in Wilson’s hands, he can seamlessly turn upfield and has great straight-line speed and acceleration to pick up yards if blocking is there. Also, Wilson seems to have good peripheral vision, is aware of surrounding defenders, protects himself, and picks up at least a few yards with each catch. Finally, despite Wilson’s smaller frame, he is a willing and pretty effective blocker.
Areas of Improvement
Now, what holds me back from having Roman Wilson higher is the feeling that he just isn’t quite all there yet. While Wilson’s route running was showcased in games and at the Senior Bowl, he inconsistently ran his routes with good tempo and struggled to get consistent leverage against defenders, especially when running downfield. Unfortunately, Wilson can struggle to stack defenders when going vertical because it really limits his deep-threat ability to add another dimension to his game.
It also felt like Wilson didn’t have a great concept of knowing when to settle down against zone coverage, and his cuts at times can require an extra step and can lack explosiveness, decreasing the separation between himself and the defender. Honestly, with some of these things, I could have had Wilson at a B for his route running, but just like I gave Jayden Reed the benefit of the doubt in his improvement as a route runner from the Senior Bowl, I’m willing to do the same for Wilson. Wilson also just doesn’t provide as much in YAC situations as you’d hope from a guy with his athleticism. Wilson didn’t show creativity as a runner and didn’t show the ability to use his athleticism to make guys miss in space.
Wilson also didn’t convert on many contested catch opportunities, only converting on 37.5%. He didn’t have a ton of opportunities with Michigan’s run-first mentality, but I have questions if he has the strength to finish catches through contact. Though Wilson catches the ball away from his body, I feel he could benefit from extending his arms a bit further to help get his hands on the ball before defenders get their hands on him. Also, with Wilson’s size, he obviously won’t be a guy who will go up to grab a ball over defenders and can also work to ensure he doesn’t lose track of the sidelines.
Finally, Wilson primarily played slot, so he didn’t face press very often, but I think there was a reason for this. When Wilson did face press coverage, he was really halted in his spot and had slow, ineffective hand counters. Wilson has quick foot speed, which gives him a chance, but he just doesn’t look ready to handle press and will likely be stuck at the slot spot.
Conclusion
I want to like Wilson more, but I feel his limitations may cap his ceiling, and he needs to primarily be a slot player. Between his size and difficulty against press, not being able to provide much after the catch, and good but not elite route running, he has the makings of a solid, to very good slot receiver. However, it’s hard to know if Wilson will be able to rise past that.
Due to both being primarily slot defenders and potentially not being capable of being a true WR1, I have Sterling Shepard as Wilson’s comp. Both Shepard and Wilson are great route technicians with strong hands and good athleticism, but both had some difficulties dealing with press and weren’t able to use their speed in the vertical game. Shepard dealt with terrible injury luck but looked like a solid player when he was out there. I think Wilson could do the same and maybe more if he continues the momentum from the Senior Bowl.
Johnny Wilson, Florida State (WR12)
Height: 6’6”; Weight: 231 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 0 months
Class: RS Junior
Overall Grade: 3/4 (Good Starter)
Comp: Malcolm Floyd
- Hands: C+
- Route Running: B
- Release: B
- Yards After Catch Potential: C+
- Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B
- Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
- Future role: B-
- RAS: A
Strengths
I probably outed myself as the biggest Johnny Wilson fan out there on my summer watchlist. After watching Wilson and finishing my notes, I looked at what other people’s thoughts were on him to know if I’m still too bullish, but it felt weird when so many profiles/scouting reports seemed like they were talking about different players outside of “big, tall receiver.” So, for my take, I’m obviously still a fan of Wilson, as you can tell from the ranking and grading.
Wilson doesn’t always do it as consistently as you’d like, but he can absolutely extend to the end of his long frame and finish catches. At times, Wilson can move like an acrobat in the air, which can be nearly impossible for smaller defenders to stop, and can also track deep balls very well. Wilson already has literally the longest wingspan in combine history and can snatch balls in the air, but he can also finish catches to the ground. Wilson’s size definitely helps, but his ability to adjust to poorly placed balls definitely helps make him very interesting.
Wilson’s route running is also really good for his size, with some quick cuts that usually don’t need a lot of unnecessary steps to finish his tight cuts. Wilson also does a good job getting leverage against defenders and has good use of jab steps and head fakes to create deception. Wilson also runs with really nice tempo to his routes and doesn’t get bothered by contact during his routes very often.
Wilson showed good awareness against zone coverage to find openings and also did a good job making his way back to the QB to give himself better positioning and an easier throw for the QB. Wilson also thrived in the middle depth of the field, which showed off his ability as a route runner. Wilson’s release is also very solid, with good use of arm counters and extensions to keep himself clean and keep defenders away from his pads. Wilson has good timing and creativity, along with good jab steps and hip sinks, to win more often than a receiver his size should.
When catching the ball, Wilson’s hands admittedly can be very frustrating but he can also make some really tough catches. Wilson has late hands and at times can absolutely pluck the ball out of the air while also not being afraid to take hits while making the catch. Wilson can also use his size to box out defenders to give him a better chance in 50/50 or tight situations. Finally, Wilson is an awesome blocker who loves to use his size to bully defenders and clear lanes for his teammates.
Areas of Improvement
But like I said, Wilson’s hands are the biggest thing holding him back. Wilson’s drop rate was a career low this year and was still 10.9% per PFF, which is just rough. From what I could tell, Wilson’s hand technique is really inconsistent, and he has a lack of focus reeling in balls while also getting distracted by oncoming defenders, leading to a number of these drops. This could be fixed with coaching having more of a focus on this, but the fact that this has been an issue for Wilson for so long is discouraging.
Also, Wilson’s contested catch abilities are lacking. Wilson’s hand strength seemed lacking, and he didn’t extend his long arms out enough and relied on body catches at times, limiting his success. Also, though Wilson can pluck a ball, he just doesn’t rise up and attack the ball nearly enough, and his timing on jumps can be a bit off but often covered by his size.
Wilson also doesn’t offer very much from a YAC standpoint. Wilson has a good center of gravity and strength to break through arm tackles but he doesn’t have much quickness or shiftiness to make guys miss and has a slight hitch to his transition from receiver to runner. Also, with Wilson’s size, he isn’t able to explode out of cuts like some of the smaller, quicker receivers and at times can struggle to get separation downfield.
Also, on rewatch, Wilson’s route tree seemed more limited than I originally wanted to admit from my summer watch. Wilson’s lower body release skills are also lacking due to a lack of elite quickness, which can make it harder for him to stay clean against smaller, quicker corners. Finally, Wilson can sometimes lose track of the sidelines and either let the route and defense take him out of bounds or will not get his feet in bounds.
Conclusion
I really like Wilson, and I think he could turn into a really good player in the league because of his size and route running. However, I wanted to see Wilson’s hands take a better step forward this year. If you want to be an optimist, Wilson had two drops against LSU in rainy conditions, two drops against Miami, and only one drop in the other eight games on 30 potential receptions (drop rate of 3.33%), which is a lot better than his season average looks. However, this is still hard to trust, given Wilson’s career average.
I’ve felt this way since I watched Wilson this summer, but there is still so much about him that screams tight end to me. Wilson thrives in the middle range of the field, he is a very good blocker for a receiver, and he has the size and balance to not be moved off his route. The only thing really missing for him is the experience at tight end and better-contested catch ability. I could see him working as a receiver in the NFL, but I could see him thriving as a tight end.
I still have Wilson on my receiver rankings due to his interviews and workouts suggesting he’s sticking to receiver, but I will still have him on my tight-end rankings. For a receiver comp, I have Malcom Floyd as his comp due to both having very imposing size with good speed and athleticism to help them make it as receivers, but both don’t offer much as YAC guys. Floyd and Wilson also could move in the air and rise up for balls but also had some bouts of drops even if they could finish the tough catches. I’ll be very curious to see where Wilson ends up getting drafted and to see what the team’s plans will be for him.
Jalen McMillan, Washington (WR13)
Height: 6’1”; Weight: 197 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 4 months
Class: RS Junior
Overall Grade: 2.96/4 (Good Role Player)
Comp: Jerry Jeudy
- Hands: B
- Route Running: A-
- Release: B
- Yards After Catch Potential: B-
- Jump Ball/Contested Catch: C
- Body Control/Ball Tracking: B+
- Future role: B-
- RAS: B+
Strengths
If you saw my 2024 watchlist, you probably know I’m one of Jalen McMillan’s biggest fans and part of why I was so high on him is his route-running prowess. McMillan has very shifty, quick feet to keep defenders guessing, a great stutter step, and he's smooth when changing directions to put defenders in blenders. McMillan also makes good use of head fakes and has very deliberate movements to fake inside/outside to maintain leverage and leave his defender in the dust. McMillan does a good job shifting his weight and using jabs to get defenders off-balance. He seems to have a good understanding of layers of coverage to find easier throwing lanes for his quarterback.
Jalen McMillan brings this awareness to beating zone coverage, finding the hole, and making himself an open target for the quarterback. It was against lesser competition, but McMillan’s game against Boise State at the start of the year was sometimes just dominant from a route-running perspective. When the ball is in the air, McMillan has great eyes to track the ball, can follow it downfield, and adjusts his route to the ball. McMillan has good body control to maneuver around the sidelines when needed, does a good job adjusting to balls in the air, and can even get himself in position to make a play on the ball when defenders don’t box him out or get there first.
Jalen McMillan has solid hands, decreased the number of unnecessary body catches that he dealt with last year, and did a better job extending his arms this year in open situations. McMillan also uses good hand technique for both balls above his head and below his waist. Though McMillan played nearly all his snaps from the slot this year and last year, he does a good job using his long arms to help him maintain his balance against press. McMillan also has good foot speed to help avoid defenders’ arms, good jab steps, and sinks his hips to get defenders to bite and minimize contact.
Though Jalen McMillan’s athletic testing at the combine was okay, not great, he has a good transition from receiver to runner and some explosion in his initial steps to get upfield. McMillan didn’t look overly explosive in his plays, but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt that his knee injury played a role in this. McMillan also does a good job following his blocks on screen plays.
Areas of Improvement
Now, an elite route runner with decent height, long arms, and solid athleticism should be higher around Ladd McConkey and Ricky Pearsall’s ranking/grading, right? Well, Jalen McMillan would be if he was better in contested catch situations. McMillan didn’t have very many contested catch opportunities this year, with only 1 per PFF, but last year, he only converted on 5 out of 15 (33.3%) and only converted on 20% throughout his whole career.
McMillan just isn’t physical or assertive enough on 50/50 balls or balls that need to be attacked with some urgency. McMillan also absolutely needs to use his long arms and extend them in these situations. When there is a defender around McMillan or on him, he just doesn’t extend his arms out, giving him very little chance to win.
Also, at times, McMillan just doesn’t seem to have the strength to get his arms through contact or defenders’ arms and also doesn’t seem to have the hand strength to routinely finish tough catches. It’s just frustrating to watch at times because McMillan has the hand size and arm length to have the ability to be great at this, and he just keeps falling short. Though McMillan’s hands are pretty solid, he did have a drop rate of 10% this year and a fair number of focus drops that need to be cleaned up. Also, with McMillan’s limited strength, he isn’t able to consistently go up and make plays on the ball, especially when his arms get tied down by defenders.
Also, though McMillan’s few opportunities against press looked decent, it’s been a while since he had to deal with it consistently, and he has a smaller frame that will give him trouble against more physical corners. With McMillan primarily playing from the slot and having two very strong receivers on the outside, he likely benefited from the guys around him creating softer coverages in the middle of the field for him to feast. When McMillan does have the ball in his hands, he doesn’t have much creativity in the open field and often gets more of the expected than having the dynamic ability to make defenders miss.
Though McMillan’s route running is awesome, he can work on his conviction at the top of his stem on deeper routes to create more separation downfield and can struggle to stack his defenders downfield. Also, McMillan could benefit from breaking down a bit more to have more drive in some of his cuts, and he can also be bothered by more physical coverage due to his size. Finally, while McMillan is a willing blocker, he is a relatively ineffective blocker.
Conclusion
Honestly, I came into the rankings with a plan to write a thesis on how McMillan is a top 10 receiver in the class, but I just couldn’t bring myself to it. McMillan’s route running is elite and up there with the top of the class, but he needs to find a way to become better at contested balls to give him a chance to be a slot specialist. It was difficult for me to even find a reasonable comp for McMillan since basically every slot player with great route running I considered comping him to in the past decade and a half also had strong hands. So, when you’re a likely outlier or missing something those receivers had, it’s not a great look.
Due to both being very good route technicians but having some issues with their hands and lacking that athleticism to make them really dynamic, I have Jerry Jeudy as Jalen McMillan’s comp. Like Jeudy, I think McMillan will earn his playing time thanks to his route running, but both need some improvement, such as catches to minimize concentration drops and finish catches through contact despite their leaner frames. Jeudy bounces between slot and out wide, and I think McMillan could do the same if asked to. My biggest thing for McMillan is that if he can become a better-contested catch guy, he can become a really exciting player for any team.
Javon Baker, UCF (WR14)
Height: 6’1”; Weight: 202 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 2 months
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 2.92/4 (Good Role Player)
Comp: Michael Gallup
- Hands: C+
- Route Running: B
- Release: B-
- Yards After Catch Potential: B-
- Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B+
- Body Control/Ball Tracking: A
- Future role: B-
- RAS: B-
Strengths
Javon Baker is someone I’ve had my eye on for a while during the season and man, he’s fun. Baker’s one of, if not the best, at contorting his body to the ball, and sometimes the adjustments he made were just sensational. Baker already has good length and long arms and used this to extend out to high point the ball and wasn’t afraid to rise for balls. Baker has great timing with his jumps and also showed good awareness to track back shoulder throws and work back to the ball to get better positioning against his man.
Javon Baker has great ball tracking skills to follow deep balls and jump balls and also showed the ability to finish catches over his shoulder. Baker was just so good at adjusting to misplaced balls and even could adjust to underthrown balls. I’ll get to it later, but while Baker lacked focus in easier catches, he showed tremendous focus when securing catches that he had to adjust to the outside of his frame. Baker also plays with late hands to give defenders little chance to win against the adjustments he can make.
Javon Baker is also very solid as a route runner who can win in all areas of the field despite his highlights, which primarily show him as a deep threat. From what I could tell, he ran a pretty full route tree. Baker has good use of head fakes and jab steps that he can combine with his quickness to put his corner in a blender at times. Also, Baker has great awareness of how to get into defenders’ blind spots and does a good job selling vertical routes before cutting inside/outside.
Javon Baker also does a good job getting consistent leverage and can eat a cushion quickly with his long strides. Baker has quick feet for both his release and with the ball in his hand, along with good change of direction and a good transition from receiver to runner to give him a chance to make guys miss. Finally, Baker played most of his snaps out wide but played a third of his snaps from the slot, giving some versatility.
Areas of Improvement
Steve Smith said that Baker makes the hard catches look easy, which he does. But I’m not sure if Smith finished the full statement on Baker and mentioned how he makes the easy catches look hard. For the ridiculous catches Baker makes, he can have some really frustrating focus drops in part due to inconsistent hand technique and also, at times, being overly reliant on body catches. For a receiver that can snatch the ball as well as Baker does, you would like to see better than a 10% drop rate for this season and for his career.
Also, while Baker is capable as a YAC guy, his acceleration is okay, and he isn’t overly quick to pick up chunk yards after the catch. Baker’s route running can use a few tune-ups as well. At times, Baker ran with good tempo, but other times, he just ran at one speed, making it easy for the defender to adjust. This may also be part of why he sometimes struggles to get separation on vertical routes and also struggles to stack his defender consistently. Baker’s lack of separation may also be from having trouble getting clean from defenders and their press.
Baker has decent foot speed with press but could benefit from using his hands and long arms more consistently to stay clean. Baker can also be moved off his route by physical corners and even pushed out of bounds at times. Baker’s cuts are solid, but they can be a bit rounded, and they could become more sharp if he broke down in his cut a bit more. Finally, it wasn’t a major problem that led to incompletions, but it seemed like Baker could sometimes lose track of his feet around the sidelines and will need to be more attentive with this transitioning to two-foot inbounds in the NFL.
Conclusion
I like Baker, and his sensational catches get me excited. However, if he really wants to get to a solid starter level, he will need to clean up his focus drops and separate better. Both are things that can cause young players to lose playing time very early in their careers and end up in the doghouse. Due to both having a great ability to make some incredibly hard adjustments to balls and sensational catches with occasional lapses in simple catches, I have Michael Gallup as Baker’s comp.
Like Michael Gallup, Javon Baker can struggle with separation at times but can make up for it with his adjustments. Both Gallup and Baker were also solid route runners who could win in the middle depth of the field. If Baker goes to a good situation like Gallup did, I think he could be a good contributor on day one and could be a steal if he either cleans up his hands or improves his separation.
Luke McCaffrey, Rice (WR15)
Height: 6’2”; Weight: 198 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 0 months
Class: RS Senior
Overall Grade: 2.92/4 (Good Role Player)
Comp: Chris Hogan
- Hands: A-
- Route Running: B
- Release: C+
- Yards After Catch Potential: B-
- Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B
- Body Control/Ball Tracking: C+
- Future role: B-
- RAS: A-
Strengths
When I went into watching Luke McCaffrey, I expected to call people out for the pseudo-nepotism of his fans since he’s the brother of Christian McCaffrey. However, I have to apologize to Luke McCaffrey for not giving him the credit he deserves. Not only is McCaffrey a good receiver, but he might also have some of the best and toughest hands in the class. He always uses sound technique when going for the ball.
If you watch any highlights of McCaffrey, he is a throwback slot that would snatch balls and survive vicious hits while still finding a way to hold onto the ball. Seriously, go look up some highlights and some are just ridiculous. McCaffrey has tremendous focus and grit to routinely finish catches in traffic and doesn’t care how hard a defender is going to hit him.
McCaffrey’s eye for following the ball was a bit inconsistent early in the season but seemed to improve as the season went on. McCaffrey showed great focus to follow the ball and ignore defenders around him while making the catch. Some of the catches had so much traffic around him that it seemed impossible McCaffrey would find the ball leading him to have such a high score for his body control/ball tracking despite limited body adjustment abilities.
McCaffrey is also a very solid route runner despite converting from quarterback to receiver in 2022. McCaffrey ran a variety of routes and did a good job breaking down in his cuts and using head fakes to get defenders turned around. McCaffrey showed great awareness by finding openings against the defense while knowing how to adjust his route with defenders in his path. Honestly, the strides McCaffrey has made this fast at receiver are impressive and I wonder how quickly he could continue to develop.
McCaffrey isn’t Christian McCaffrey with the ball in his hands, but he still provides a nice boost for an offense. Luke McCaffrey has quick acceleration and a quick transition from receiver to runner to pick up some good yards. McCaffrey also showed decent contact balance and ran with solid vision to follow his blocks and found openings in the defense.
Areas of Improvement
As I alluded to, Luke McCaffrey is a much stiffer athlete than his combine testing suggests. You can see this when McCaffrey is in the open field and has a defender one-on-one and he just doesn’t have the agility to make him miss. This stiffness also showed with some of McCaffrey’s trouble adjusting to balls away from his frame. McCaffrey makes life a bit harder for himself with some poor positioning, but he still just really struggled to adjust to balls in his vicinity.
McCaffrey also offers pretty little in 50/50 balls outside of making some tough catches. However, I have concerns that higher-quality corners will have more success punching those balls out. McCaffrey also could help himself by breaking back to the quarterback rather than having a corner right on top of him at times.
McCaffrey played about two-thirds of his snaps from the slot and will likely need to play there in the NFL. There weren’t a lot of outside snaps for me to watch, but McCaffrey typically struggled with press and would be slowed down. McCaffrey has decent lower body mechanics thanks to his quick feet, but he gets too bullied from the waist up.
Finally, though McCaffrey looked like a solid route runner, his cuts lacked explosiveness and limited his separation. This limited separation will only become more limited in the NFL, causing some serious concerns about whether McCaffrey will be able to get himself open in the NFL. Also, there were a few times when McCaffrey still showed signs of being new to the receiver position with some sloppy cuts and getting slowed down when defenders got their hands on him. McCaffrey’s routes lack tempo, and this one-speed nature also makes it easier for defenders to get a handle on his routes.
Conclusion
If McCaffrey continues to develop as a route runner and proves he can get separation out of his cuts in the NFL, he could become a very productive slot player for a team. McCaffrey’s hands and toughness in traffic are already up there with the other top slot options in this class, so a team will need to see if they can coach him to their level. Due to both coming from small schools and limited experience at receiver in college, I have Chris Hogan as McCaffrey’s comp.
Like Luke McCaffrey, Chris Hogan had great athleticism but was a bit of a stiff athlete and needed time to develop as a receiver. Both McCaffrey and Hogan also had very tough hands and a good foundation as route runners, which helped them project themselves as productive slot players. Luke McCaffrey doesn’t have the ceiling as Christian McCaffrey, but he absolutely has the makings of being another productive NFL player.
Jermaine Burton, Alabama (WR16)
Height: 6’0”; Weight: 196 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 21 years and 8 months
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 2.92/4 (Good Role Player)
Comp: Kendrick Bourne
- Hands: B+
- Route Running: C
- Release: B
- Yards After Catch Potential: C+
- Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B+
- Body Control/Ball Tracking: B+
- Future role: C+
- RAS: A-
Strengths
Jermaine Burton is someone I didn’t have on my summer watchlist. A major reason for this was simply not being overly impressed with Burton’s play. Burton isn’t the flashiest player, but from a more thorough watch, I can see why he has some fans.
Burton has reliable hands with no drops this season and only 4 in his career on 197 targets. Burton showed the ability to go up and catch balls away from his frame and will typically catch the ball away from his body in contested catch situations. Burton also has really tough hands and even showed the grit to go up in the air to make catches and finish through diving hits from defenders.
Burton’s not an acrobat by any means, but he can contort and adjust his body pretty well to misplaced balls and get his hands on them. Burton also showed solid awareness around the sidelines to keep his feet in bounds. Burton also showed strong release skills with good hip dip to get around press. Burton can get a little tied up with physical press but has good use of arm counters to get himself free and typically does a good job keeping himself mostly clean against press.
Burton also has long strides that can eat a cushion pretty quickly and does a good job of getting leverage against defenders. Burton also showed good awareness of how to adjust to Jalen Milroe when he was scrambling to make himself a viable target. Also, Burton doesn’t get moved off his path as much as you’d expect for a player with his frame.
Areas of Improvement
One thing that I’m not as sold on as others is Jermaine Burton’s route running. I feel Burton’s cuts lack polish and are pretty rounded, and he could benefit from breaking down more to make cleaner cuts. It also seemed like Burton doesn’t always have a sturdy/wide enough base when making his cuts, taking away some of the explosion.
Burton’s route tree also seemed pretty limited from what I watched, and he could improve his tempo in his routes, especially when working downfield. Burton also lacks conviction and deception in his route, which gives him more of a chance to make big plays downfield. Also, I don’t like to assume things, but others have brought up that Burton’s route-running effort is inconsistent, and that was something that came up for me as well.
When Burton has the ball in his hands, he has a quick transition from receiver to runner but seems like a slow accelerator in space and doesn’t have great YAC ability. Burton’s more of a straight-line runner with the ball in his hands and doesn’t seem to have the ability to consistently make quick, sharp cuts to make defenders miss. Also, while Burton’s hands are good, there were a few times when he unnecessarily relied on body catches. Also, Burton wasn’t punished for it, but he had a few instances of lapses of poor hand technique with some clap attacks.
Burton also could be even better at contested catch opportunities by extending his arms even further to attack the ball. Also, Burton can struggle rising above defenders if they are in his hip and limit his ability to be a dynamic ball snatcher. There were also a few times when Burton lost track of some high, hanging balls as well. Finally, Burton was a pretty ineffective blocker and seemed almost unwilling to block at times.
Conclusion
Jermaine Burton’s a player that I think is solid, but he doesn’t excite me. Burton’s not an explosive downfield threat, isn’t a great route runner, and isn’t dynamic in the open field. However, Burton’s not bad at any of these and has good release skills, so he has a fair floor, even if he doesn’t have a ceiling to be an alpha/WR1 for a team. Due to both having strong hands but neither having the traits to be an alpha receiver for a team, I have Kendrick Bourne as Burton’s comp.
Like Kendrick Bourne, Burton can win against press, can rise up and get a ball when open, and has a pretty solid ability to adjust to the ball. Neither Bourne nor Burton are that fast in games, with both having slow 10-yard splits, but they can win downfield, and their tough hands let them fit into different roles. Like Bourne, I don’t know if Burton will have an overly productive career, but I think he will be a player that can earn a second contract from a team.
