Jermaine Burton will be a Bengal. Cincinnati made Burton the 80th overall pick and the 16th selection of the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Burton was Alabama’s first skill position player selected. Two of his former teammates went earlier in the evening: Kool-Aid McKinstry (41st overall to New Orleans) and Chris Braswell (57th to Tampa Bay). Burton transferred to UA ahead of the 2022 season and was the Tide’s top receiving option. Now, he becomes a target in Joe Burrow’s offense.

He scored eight times in two seasons with Georgia, including a 57-yard touchdown in the 2021 Rose Bowl against Michigan. In 26 games with UA, Burton made 79 catches for 1,475 yards and 15 touchdowns. He finished his career with two Southeastern Conference championships and was a constant deep-ball threat.

Burton averaged more than 20 yards per touch and his big-play ability was never more apparent than last October at Texas A&M. He exploded for 197 yards and two touchdowns as Jalen Milroe developed. After a strong combine showing, Burton was the 12th pass-catcher selected.

“I really, really like this guy. The No. 1 thing he needs to do, and I think emotional maturity is the best way to say it, is do the right things all the time. He does the right things on the field. He knows the importance of what he has to do on the field. He wants to be a player that’s all he thinks about,” his former coach Nick Saban said on ESPN’s live broadcast analysis.

In 2022, Burton was part of a controversy when he and a fan scuffled during a field storming in Knoxville. (He was never punished by the team or the conference.) Burton is the first UA wide receiver to be selected since Jameson Williams and John Metchie went in the first- and second-rounds, respectively, in the 2022 draft.

Last month, Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins requested a trade, per ESPN. Needing a dynamic downfield threat, Cincinnati opted for another SEC standout.

Alabama 2024 NFL draft picks

Round 1

• 7. JC Latham, Tennessee Titans
• 17. Dallas Turner, Minnesota Vikings
• 24. Terrion Arnold, Detroit Lions

Round 2

• 41. Kool-Aid McKinstry, New Orleans Saints
• 57. Chris Braswell, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round 3

• 80. Jermaine Burton, Cincinnati Bengals

Nick Alvarez is a reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter @nick_a_alvarez or email him at [email protected].