American football fullback Michael Burton was born on February 1, 1992, and he plays for the National Football League (NFL) Denver Broncos. In the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions selected him while he was still a collegiate player at Rutgers. In addition, he has played for the Washington Redskins, Kansas City Chiefs, New Orleans Saints, and Chicago Bears.
From 2011 until 2014, Burton was a collegiate football player at Rutgers.[2] He recorded 10 receptions for 68 receiving yards and a receiving touchdown in the 2011 season in addition to 10 carries for 44 rushing yards.[3] He caught three passes for 34 receiving yards in four games during the 2012 campaign.[4] He recorded 19 receptions for 149 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns during the 2013 campaign.[5] In 2014, he had 15 receptions for 150 receiving yards in his final collegiate season.
He went into training camp facing up against Emil Igwenagu to be the starting fullback for the Detroit Lions. When the regular season got underway, he was named their starting fullback after winning the job.[10] Against the San Diego Chargers in the Lions’ season opener, he made his first career start and professional regular season debut.[11] In a 16–26 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Burton gained two yards on his first carry of the season in the following game.[12] He caught his first career pass from Matt Stafford for three yards on October 5, 2015, and ended the 10–13 loss to the Seattle Seahawks with one carry for no yards and one reception for three yards.[13] On December 21, 2015, Burton scored his first touchdown of the season after Stafford passed him for four yards.
In his final 16 games as a rookie, he appeared in all 16 and finished with two rushing yards on four runs and 39 receiving yards and a score on six receptions.