Deontay Burnett signed by Tennessee Titans as undrafted free agent after NFL Draft

USC wide receiver Deontay Burnett was signed by the Tennessee Titans after surprisingly going unpicked in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Deontay Burnett has a new home in the NFL, as the Tennessee Titans picked up the Trojan wide receiver as an undrafted free agent following the 2018 NFL Draft.

It was a bit of a surprise that Burnett fell out of the draft order. He had been pegged as a Day 3 prospect and a potential fifth round selection.

USC Athletics reported the news of Burnett’s signing on Twitter.

At the same time, being underestimated is nothing new to Burnett. He was an under-recruited prospect coming out of high school, flipping to USC on Signing Day as a blueshirt addition.

Coming through USC’s pipeline to Serra, the report on him was he’d outperform his stature, as an undersized prospect with limited physical upside. He did just that, bursting onto the scene in 2016 as a sophomore.

The receiver built a particular chemistry with quarterback Sam Darnold, culminating in his game-tying touchdown catch in the 2017 Rose Bowl game.

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With JuJu Smith-Schuster off to the NFL, it fell to Burnett to pick up the slack as a junior in 2017 and he did that too. Burnett led the Trojans with 1,114 yards and nine touchdowns on the year.

Given his lack of NFL measurables, it was expected that Burnett would return to USC for his senior season, but the junior opted to put his name in the draft hat anyways.

Unfortunately draft prep didn’t go his way. After sustaining a hamstring injury, Burnett was unable to workout for teams at the NFL Combine or USC’s Pro Day.

Scouts expressed concern about his NFL ceiling, but those doubts have followed Burnett throughout his football career. Great hands, uncanny football instincts and a workmanlike attitude will ultimately determine how high Burnett climbs with the Titans.

In Tennessee he will be joined by fellow undrafted free agent signee Nico Falah, as well as former Trojan Adoree’ Jackson and Jurrell Casey.