Jermaine Burton shows off enormous potential with impressive TD catch in preseason debut

The Cincinnati Bengals selected wide receiver Jermaine Burton in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft because of his enormous upside, and he showed off his lofty potential in his preseason debut against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers -- a game the Bengals ultimately lost, 17-14.

Burton snags a touchdown in his first professional game

Late in the fourth quarter of the contest with the Bengals trailing the Bucs 10-7, Burton ran a beautiful route down the sideline and found himself on the receiving end of a perfectly placed ball from quarterback Logan Woodside. From there Burton was able to glide into the end zone. The score gave the Bengals a late lead, though they were unable to hold onto it.

Burton may be a rookie, but it was a veteran-like play, and he also was ready to celebrate like a veteran as he immediately started doing snow angels in the end zone at the conclusion of the play. Check out the catch and celebration below:

Burton also had an impressive grab in the final minute of the contest.

In all, the rookie receiver had three catches for 82 cards and one touchdown in his first taste of professional play. It was an extremely promising debut that highlighted exactly why the Bengals are so high on this kid. After the game, Burton explained how he stayed patient and stayed ready despite not seeing any action during the first half of the game.

So I just stayed down and stayed patient," Burton said. "And I was like, I know it's gonna come at some point. So instead of getting down or anything like that I just know when that time comes, I'll be ready."

And ready he was. Burton seized the moment and left a lasting impressive on Bengals fans -- and the team's coaching staff. Performances like the one he had against Tampa Bay show that Burton could be ready to contribute at a high level right out of the gate.

Burton will have two more opportunities to show his stuff before the regular season gets underway. If he plays as well as he did in his debut it will be hard for the coaching staff to deny him playing time. He's currently competing with the likes of Trenton Irwin, Andrei Iosivas for the third starting receiver spot.