Burton's Speed, Strength Impresses at NFL Combine

To say Michael Burton made the most of the biggest opportunity of his life would be a vast understatement.

The former Long Valley Raider, West Morris Central Wolfpack captain, and Rutgers Scarlet Knights captain took part in all seven drills offered for running backs at the prestigious NFL Scouting Combine on Saturday, Feb. 21, and left a tremendous first impression on professional scouts and coaches.

The 5’11, 242-pound true fullback was lumped in with the running back group, many of whom are being considered as first or second round picks in this year’s NFL draft, which begins in late April.

On top of showing his worth when it came to catching passes out of the backfield, Burton’s seven drills showed why his Scarlet Knights teammates called him one of the hardest working players to ever hit a collegiate field.

Those drills, and Burton’s scores, were as follows:

• 40 Yard Dash: 4.74 seconds
• Bench Press: 25 reps*
• Vertical Jump: 33 inches
• Broad Jump: 115 inches
• 3 Cone Drill: 7.2 seconds
• 20 Yard Shuttle: 4.34 seconds
• 60 Yard Shuttle: 11.62 seconds

The bench press drill tests a player’s strength in the weight room to see how many times the athlete can bench press 225 pounds. Burton’s 25 reps were good enough to tie for third out of all running backs, with the top performer notching 30 reps.

Burton’s 40-yard dash time was also impressive for his size and position, with the top speed coming from Michigan State’s Jeremy Langford at 4.42 seconds.

Prior to the combine Burton was preparing for the opportunity by working out at Parabolic in Little Falls, New Jersey, and had partnered with Pat Capra and Lunar Sports to be his agent.

“I’m a very competitive guy,” he told Patch earlier this month. “I’ve been practicing running back drills throughout my career, and I know I can handle the catching, bag drills and so on. It won’t be new to me. I think [taking drills] alongside those guys will just be more motivation.”

Burton is draft eligible, but has an uphill climb. Just three fullbacks were drafted by NFL teams in each of the last three seasons, with five being drafted in 2011. Not a single one of those players was drafted higher than the fourth round, according to espn.com.

Only one fullback was invited to the combine in 2014 – Oklahoma’s Trey Millard, who was drafted in the seventh round by San Francisco, according to espn.com.

The 2015 NFL Draft begins on Thursday, April 30, and ends on Saturday, May 2.

Pictured: Mike Burton before a Rutgers game in 2014. Photo Courtesy BOSS Photos.

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