Lions Select Rutgers Fullback Michael Burton With Fifth-Round Pick
By Ashley Dunkak
@AshleyDunkak
ALLEN PARK - With the 168th overall pick of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected Rutgers fullback Michael Burton.
"It's a position that I always like having," Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi said. "Fullbacks are, some people call them a dying breed, but they're tough guys. We've had a good history of fullbacks here, so we like his toughness.
"Strong guy, smart player, tough, everything you want in a fullback," Lombardi added.
Lombardi said Burton caught the eye of Lions general manager Martin Mayhew at the 2014 Quick Lane Bowl that was played at Ford Field.
"He saw a guy that played a lot in that bowl game," Lombardi said. "A lot of times fullbacks are on and off the field. Well this guys was used in a lot of different roles, so it wasn't just go run the lead play and then come off whenever we want to do something a little more athletic, so he saw a kid that was versatile and had good athleticism and could run routes and catch the ball and block and be a real effective player."
Detroit has an extra degree of familiarity with Burton because Lions assistant head coach Ron Prince was the offensive coordinator for Rutgers in 2013.
"You get a little more insight into the character of the kid," Lombardi said. "You can see that he plays tough, but when you hear it backed up by someone who spent every day with him and that they can talk about some of the things that maybe you didn't see on film like his ability to run the ball, and so when you spend every day with a player and see him in practice, you just have so much more experience with him than the reps that you get to watch on film.
"It gives you comfort that what you're seeing is accurate," Lombardi concluded.
Originally a walk-on, the 6-foot, 230-pound Burton played in all 13 games for Rutgers as a fifth-year senior in 2014. In addition to playing fullback, he served on several special teams units.