Any "surprises" we on the outside witness during the NFL Draft is never truly a surprise. The Cincinnati Bengals drafting Jermaine Burton in the third round is yet another example of all the behind the scenes work that comes to light in an instant.
Rumored character concerns were as synonymous with Burton as his undeniable on-field talent. It's why many didn't expect the Bengals to be interested in the 22-year old who played at both Georgia and Alabama.
Cincinnati drafted Burton not before vetting him properly, which included reaching out to man who ended up announcing the pick: T.J. Houshmanzadeh.
As Burton's trainer of the last four years, Houshmanzadeh, a former Bengals receiver of eight years himself, developed a close mentorship with the now 22-year old wideout. It made him the ideal source for the Bengals to get the skinny on who they were targeting.
“All the negative things people may say, I don’t see those things,” Houshmandzadeh said to Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic. “I’m aware of what’s being said about him. We talk about those things. As a person, I just tell him what he needs to do. Hopefully, he listens. If he doesn’t and it doesn’t pan out for him, I know in my heart of hearts I gave him the right advice to be successful outside of being a football player, I’m just talking as a man, as a person.”
Needless to say, the Bengals took him at his word.
“It’s always a piece of the puzzle,” director of college scouting Mike Potts said. “It would never be the deciding factor on a guy because you never are going to take one man’s opinion, but it certainly is something that carries weight. As is the 10, 20, 30 other people we talked to about Jermaine. End of the day, piece together the puzzle on the common themes you are hearing from sources you talk to.”
There's objectively two sides to this coin. Houshmanzadeh's extensive time training and personally getting to know Burton makes him more knowledgeable about him than most other sources the Bengals could've reached out to, and they reached out to plenty.
On the flip side, Houshmanzadeh's connection also has an inherent level of bias, and when his former team reaches out to him wanting the inside information, it's in his best interest to promote those he works with.
Ultimately, he's putting his reputation on the line for an organization he still represents. Houshmanzadeh remains an ambassador of his former club and has been around the team since head coach Zac Taylor took over.
His word holds weight, and it was a legitimate factor towards writing Burton's name on the card.
More must-reads: