Who Should I Start? Jermaine Burton or Jalen Royals

Thursday, January 30, 2:42 PM

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Jermaine Burton was selected with the No. 80 overall pick (third round) in the 2024 NFL Draft after a strong final season at Alabama. However, the 23-year-old played sparingly in his rookie season and caught just four passes for 107 yards on 14 targets in 14 games. At the Senior Bowl this year, Bengals director of player personnel spoke on Burton's status with the organization. "He's done nothing, and he's going to have to start doing something quickly. We knew we were taking a risk. We felt comfortable that we could help him through some of the challenges he's had in the past, and we're going to continue to try to help him," Tobin said. "But this is professional football, and you have to take accountability, and you have to be accountable to your teammates, your coaches, and the team that you're playing for, and he has to figure that out." Burton notably did not travel with the team for a must-win game against the Pittsburgh Steelers late in the 2024 campaign and seems to be falling out of favor with the coaching staff and front office quickly. The speedster could be at risk of being released or traded before the next regular season.

Saturday, May 17, 1:19 PM

Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Jalen Royals appears to have a chance to be involved in the offense during the 2025-26 campaign sooner rather than later. "He can make an impact immediately," said Greg Castillo, Kansas City's western regional scout. "He can separate with the short route and he can separate with the intermediate route. He's got a ton of versatility. The 2025 No. 133 overall pick had a quality collegiate career, totaling 21 touchdowns in his final two seasons at Utah State. He also averaged 15.2 yards per catch during that span. The Chiefs have an experienced wide receiver group, consisting of Rashee Rice (knee), Marquise Brown, Xavier Worthy, and JuJu Smith-Schuster. In addition, tight end Travis Kelce will return for another season. But considering nagging injuries were a theme for the receiving corps last season, Royals is someone who may have a shot to contribute earlier than anticipated. Although his redraft stock isn't high, he's someone dynasty managers can consider later in rookie drafts.