Burton attended Manhattan High School, where he was a two-way player at wide receiver and cornerback. As a junior, he became a starter at both positions, tallying 244 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. As a senior, he broke one of his thumbs, but still managed to keep playing. He collected 20 receptions for 327 yards, 5 receiving touchdowns, 216 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also received first-team All-Centennial League and All-state honors for his production at defensive back.
College career
Burton accepted a football scholarship from Kansas State University. As a sophomore, he was named a starter at wide receiver during the season, posting 17 receptions for 171 yards. As a junior, he tallied 38 receptions for 510 yards and 4 touchdowns. Against West Virginia University, he had 5 catches for 135 yards, including a 77-yard touchdown, while earning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week honors. As a senior, he registered 29 receptions for 404 yards and one touchdown. He finished his colleged career with 84 receptions for 1,085 yards and 5 touchdowns, becoming the school’s 29th career 1,000-yard receiver.
Professional career
Atlanta Falcons
Burton was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons after the 2017 NFL Draft on May 1. He was waived by the Falcons on September 2, but was signed to their practice squad the next day, where he was converted into a cornerback. He signed a reserve/future contract with the Falcons on January 15, 2018. On September 1, he was released by the Falcons and was signed to the practice squad the next day. He was promoted to the active roster on September 4. He played in the season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles and had one special teams tackle. He was waived on September 10, 2018.
On September 11, 2018, Burton was claimed off waivers by the Green Bay Packers. He was declared inactive for the second game against the Minnesota Vikings. He was waived on September 19.
Atlanta Falcons (second stint)
On September 25, 2018, Burton was signed to the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad.
On October 31, 2018, Burton was signed by the Houston Texans off the Falcons practice squad, to provide depth because of injuries. He appeared in 2 games as a backup. He was waived on August 26, 2019.
On November 20, 2019, Burton was signed by the Dallas Cowboys from the Colts practice squad, after cornerback Anthony Brown was placed on the injured reserve list. He appeared in 3 games as a backup.
