Morris County's Burton Drafted by Detroit Lions

From the Wolfpack to the Lions’ den, blue and silver has always looked good on Michael Burton.

The little boy from Long Valley who dreamed of playing professional football is now a grown man with a chance to put on the pads at the highest level.

The Detroit lions picked the fullback 168th overall in the 2015 NFL Draft, and the former Rutgers co-captain couldn’t be happier.

“It feels great,” Burton told Patch Saturday. Burton said he fielded multiple calls Saturday morning before the third day of picks began.

And then, just around 3 p.m., Burton, sitting in his Long Valley home with family and close friends, heard his cell phone ring one more time.

“(Detroit lions) coach (Jim Caldwell) asked me if I was ready to be a Lion,” he said. “And I said ‘absolutely.’”

Burton’s blood is made of gridiron turf, having played from a young age for one of Morris County’s most storied programs, the Long Valley Raiders. From there, he was an instrumental part of the West Morris Central Wolfpack, helping the team win a state championship in 2009.

Because of an ankle injury that took away most of his junior year, Burton’s college prospects didn’t go as deep as he would have liked. So the confident tailback decided to try his luck at Rutgers University, where he’d be a walk-on player.

After red-shirting his freshman season, Burton, who was moved to the fullback position, worked his way into playing time and, ultimately, becoming one of the team’s five captains for the 2014 season – the Scarlet Knights’ first in the Big 10 Conference.

To say Burton has faced adversity would be an understatement.

The 5’11”, 240-pound blocking machine with pass-catching hands has worked his way into every accolade he’s received, and knows it’ll be more of the same at the professional level.

And the fit with the Lions, Burton says, is a perfect one.

“(Sports agent) Pat Capra and I talked about being in the best situation possible for what I can do, and I think Detroit is a great place,” Burton said. “The Lions get their fullbacks involved, and move the ball around to everyone on the team. With Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson being able to take the top off the defense, it gives a lot of opportunity for play-action and the backs to get involved.”

Detroit went 11-5 in 2014, notching a playoff berth, but lost to the Dallas Cowboys in the wild card round.

Burton wasn’t the only Scarlet Knight to go pro this week, following teammate and tight end Tyler Kroft, who went in the third round to the Cincinnati Bengals.

While at Rutgers, Burton played in 42 career games, the school said in a statement Saturday. The versatile back had a catch in 11 different games in 2014, and was one of only two fullbacks in the country invited to the NFL Combine in February.

Burton is the first West Morris Central graduated drafted to the NFL.

The journey to professional football, while lengthy and filled with obstacles, continues on for Michael Burton, just as he drew it up more than a decade ago on the grass fields of Long Valley.

Now he has to prove himself to his new team and his new league.

If Burton’s past is any indicator, the Lions have just added immense depth to their roar.

Pictured: Michael Burton shortly after receiving notice he was drafted by the Detroit Lions. Photo Courtesy Michael Burton.