The alarm would go off every 2-3 hours, waking Michael Burton from a sound sleep. Determined to hit 250 pounds by Rutgers' pro day in March, Burton would dutifully drink a protein shake and then return to sleep.

That dedication is how Burton added 20 solid pounds to an already well-built frame in the first three months after his Rutgers career ended. And that dedication is how Burton has transformed from a walk-on out of West Morris Central High into a potential NFL Draft pick.

"He locked in the goal. His work ethic was through the roof," said Brian Martin, who has trained Burton for the NFL over the past four months at Parabolic Performance & Rehabilitation in Little Falls. "He hit exactly, on the dot, 250.0. You put a target in front of the kid, he'll kill himself to hit it."

No scholarship, no problem

From the time he started playing Pop Warner football in Long Valley, Burton dreamed of reaching the NFL. Armed with an unwavering determination, he became a star running back at West Morris Central.

A four-year starter, Burton owns every single-game, single-season and career record in rushing yards and touchdowns at the school. He led the Wolfpack to the North Jersey Section 2, Group 3 state title in 2009, earning MVP honors in the championship game after rushing for 100 yards and scoring three touchdowns (check out his amazing high school highlight video at the bottom of this post).

"I thought he was a phenomenal player because he has natural gifts," West Morris Central coach Kevin Hennelly said. "He's very athletic. But probably what separates him, even now as an NFL prospect, is he just outworks people."

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An inside look at Michael Burton's NFL training

Despite that combination of work ethic and production, Burton didn't receive a single scholarship offer from a Division 1-A program. Hennelly said a handful of Division 1-AA schools were "begging" to land Burton with the intention of using him as a featured tailback.

But Burton had attended a summer camp at Rutgers as a high school junior and fell in love with the school. Hennelly recalls then-Rutgers coach Greg Schiano and his staff waffling on a position for Burton, who also starred at linebacker.

Rutgers eventually offered Burton an opportunity to play fullback as a preferred walk-on. Hennelly had no doubt that Burton would work his way onto the field at Rutgers, but the coach was hesitant about the decision to pass on full scholarship offers.

"I actually told his dad, 'Look, if it were me, financially, I might be going with a full scholarship.' And his father said, 'I can't do that. My kid's dream has been to play 1-A ball at Rutgers and I'm going to let him go for his dream,' " Hennelly said. "Thank God they didn't listen to my advice."

'He is every coach's dream'

The pre-draft process isn't the first time Burton needed to bulk up to advance his football career. At 195 pounds, Burton was nowhere near big enough to play fullback when he arrived at Rutgers.

Burton added weight as he redshirted in 2010 and then worked his way into the lineup in 2011. Shortly after the Scarlet Knights won the 2011 Pinstripe Bowl, Burton received a full scholarship from Schiano.

"I really haven't looked back since," Burton said.

A leg injury limited Burton to four games in 2012, but he developed into a star at an unsung position as his career progressed. Burton became a devastating lead-blocker — labeled "230 pounds of twisted steel" by guard Chris Muller — while serving as a valuable receiver and contributing on multiple special teams units.

Burton also was named a captain and was a three-time academic all-conference selection. Earning a communications degree with a 3.5 GPA, Burton was one four Rutgers players named to the National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society this week.

"He is every coach's dream in terms of the type of player you're trying to build for your program," said Rutgers coach Kyle Flood.

No surprise he's here

Perhaps the most remarkable aspect of Burton's improbable journey to becoming a potential NFL Draft pick is that no one close to him is surprised he's here.

"It's one of those things where if you would have told me however many years ago that your brother is going to be sitting in 2015 on his couch watching the NFL Draft hoping to hear his name get called, it just wouldn't have shocked me," said Burton's older brother Drew. "I think that's part of the experience of Michael. He has just always set a goal and whatever that goal is, he works so hard to attain it."

Whether Burton gets his NFL shot as a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent, he'll face an uphill climb to make a roster. After seeing everything he has overcome to reach this point, no one in Burton's inner circle is fazed by the odds.

"I've been around hundreds of athletes and no one is more prepared mentally and physically than Michael Burton ever," Martin said. "The guy is just 1,000 percent every day. There's no way coaches are going to want to send the kid home. I would bet everything I have that if it gets down to the 53-man roster, they're picking that kid every time."

Michael Burton Football Recruiting from D-Vision (Bonnie Durkin) on Vimeo.

Dan Duggan may be reached at dduggan@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @DDuggan21. Find NJ.com Rutgers Football on Facebook.