ON THE FALCONS BEAT

Burton moved from wide receiver to cornerback

May 12, 2017, Flowery Branch: Falcons rookie wide receiver Deante Burton, Kansas State, catches a pass during rookie mini-camp on Friday, May 12, 2017, in Flowery Branch. He has been moved to cornerback. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
May 12, 2017, Flowery Branch: Falcons rookie wide receiver Deante Burton, Kansas State, catches a pass during rookie mini-camp on Friday, May 12, 2017, in Flowery Branch. He has been moved to cornerback. Curtis Compton/ccompton@ajc.com
Sept 7, 2017

Deante Burton, an undrafted rookie from Kansas State who played wide receiver during the exhibition season, has been switched to cornerback by the Falcons. The Falcons signed Burton to the practice squad after establishing their 53-man roster.

Burton, a 6-foot-2, 205 pounder made 35 career starts at Kansas State, including his final 26 games. He caught 84 passes for 1,085 yards with five touchdowns in four seasons, and is the 29th player in school history to record 1,000 career receiving yards.

He was a first-team Academic All-Big 12 selection in 2016 and a second-team pick in 2014. Burton was part of a Wildcat senior class that went 32-20 with two bowl victories in four years.

The Falcons successfully converted C.J. Goodwin to cornerback from wide receiver over the past two seasons. He’s on the 53-man roster and is the team’s fourth cornerback entering the season.

About the Author

Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.

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