Jager Burton’s NFL Draft Buzz Is Growing—And It’s Easy to See Why

An NFL Draft interview with Kentucky offensive lineman Jager Burton.

Feb 28, 2026; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Kentucky offensive lineman Jager Burton (OL10) speaks to members of the media during the NFL Combine at the Indiana Convention Center. Mandatory Credit: Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images | Jacob Musselman-Imagn Images

Kentucky offensive lineman Jager Burton is an athletic prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. The durable, versatile blocker started 47 career games for the Wildcats. Burton then went to the NFL Combine and displayed elite athleticism by running a 4.94 in the 40 yard dash.

Burton recently spoke exclusively with NFL Draft On SI. Burton discussed his experience playing both guard and center, his NFL Combine showing, recent Top 30 pre-draft visits, blocking in space with athleticism, his favorite concepts in the playbook, and more.

NFL Draft Interview: Jager Burton Is Sleeper With Starting Upside

JM: You enter the NFL Draft having made 47 career starts at Kentucky. How do you think that level of preparation and experience will help you acclimate to the NFL level?

Jager Burton: I think that’s very important for offensive linemen at the end of the day. It’s all about banking game reps. In my opinion, that’s the best way to get better. You have to play this position in order to improve.

Other than practice reps and individual periods, you need to play football games. The amount of games I’ve played in, that’s a huge thing for me. I’m obviously super proud to have done that at the University of Kentucky.

I stayed healthy and played a lot of football. That should serve me well at the next level.

JM: You have a ton of experience at guard and center. You’ve been versatile and durable. Where do teams primarily see you playing at the next level?

Jager Burton: It really just depends on the team. Every team has different roster needs and sees it a different way. I feel equally as confident and comfortable at both guard and center, both interior positions.

I’m willing to do whatever helps the team win.

JM: Is Jager Burton an athlete in space or a powerful blocker in a phone booth? If you had to choose one…

Jager Burton: I would probably say I’m an athlete in space. This time leading up to the NFL Draft though, I’ve been working on being a balanced player. You need to be both athletic and strong in order to succeed in the NFL.

I’ve been working on becoming more powerful in a phone booth. Right now, my film definitely says I’m an athlete in space.

Nov 8, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats offensive lineman Jager Burton (62) celebrates after a drive by running back Seth McGowan (3) during the third quarter against the Florida Gators at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

JM: Building on that, what was your favorite play to run in the playbook this past season? Something you got excited about hearing in the huddle. Break it down for me. I love hearing this answer from an offensive lineman.

Jager Burton: I loved running wide zone. The fronts we saw, we faced a lot of variety. Wide zone was a great play to get those d-linemen tired. It was an easy play to get us an advantage. We fired off the ball and dominated the edge.

Our running backs took those wide zone plays to the house. We had Seth McGowan at Kentucky. He’s one of the best running backs I’ve ever played with. Watching him get to the second level untouched and do the rest from there, it was an awesome sight to see.

JM: You were elite at the NFL Combine. You ran a 4.94 at 312 pounds, the sixth-fastest time. Did you surprise scouts with that athleticism?

Jager Burton: I would say yeah, I think I surprised them a little bit. I think they saw it on film, but it’s a little harder to tell the exact degree of anyone’s athleticism strictly on tape, especially for an offensive linemen.

We ran a lot of inside zone this past season. I think that made it a little harder to see our athleticism up front. I knew the NFL Combine was a great opportunity for scouts to see that I’m very athletic. I wanted them to see that with their own eyes, as opposed to through a camera lens.

I felt like I took good advantage of my opportunity at the NFL Combine. I even posted some better numbers at my Pro Day compared to the combine.

JM: There’s no denying your athleticism. Have you met with any NFL teams throughout this pre-draft process? Did you have any meetings at pro day, or any virtual meetings?

Jager Burton: I had Top 30 visits with the Chicago Bears, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tennessee Titans. I’ve probably met with all 32 teams via Zoom calls. I’ve done a couple of teams more than once [virtually]. I’m fortunate to be in this situation. Even those teams I made in-person visits with, we met on Zoom as well.

JM: There’s a lot of interest in you and it’s easy to see why. We’ve appreciated your time today. When a team uses a draft pick on Jager Burton, what kinda guy are they getting?

Jager Burton: You’re going to get a guy who understands what it’s like to overcome adversity. I know what it takes to stick out and come out the other side better for having gone through it.

I’m the same guy every single day. I show up ready to work. I want to be the best player I can be. That means doing anything I can to help the team win games.