Missouri’s Luther Burden taken in 2nd round of 2025 NFL Draft. Why did he fall?
Missouri Tigers star receiver Luther Burden III is officially NFL bound — though a day later than many expected.
Burden became the second Tiger selected in this year’s draft when he was chosen No. 39 overall by the Chicago Bears in the second round.
Burden, at one point, was considered a consensus first rounder. Why the change?
Capping off his time at Mizzou, Burden finished his junior campaign with just 676 receiving yards across 61 receptions with six touchdowns, numbers that were way down from a sophomore season in which he was a Biletnikoff Award semifinalist.
As a sophomore, Burden tallied 86 receptions for 1,212 yards, hauling in nine touchdowns for the Tigers en route to a Cotton Bowl victory. He received increased defensive attention as a junior, while the Tigers also dealt with an in-season injury to quarterback Brady Cook.
Leading up to the draft, ESPN’s Matt Miller reported on X/Twitter that NFL teams had asked Mizzou to share “cut-ups of Luther Burden’s route running in practice for a deeper look at his route tree.” The Columbia Daily Tribune’s Calum McAndrew noted that could be a concerning sign for his draft prospects.
Burden didn’t seem too discouraged, however, sharing an Instagram story of a midnight workout following the first round of the draft, when he was not selected.
He also posted the message, “OK kool!” on X following Round 1.
Burden scored a 6.43 prospect grade at this year’s NFL Combine, placing him in the “will become a good starter within two years” category according to the NFL’s grading system. NFL analyst Lance Zierlein provided the following analysis of the Mizzou star:
“Former five-star recruit who offers five-star athleticism and playmaking ability. Burden is a natural on the field with above-average speed and exciting ball skills to win at a high rate. He takes snaps off and short-circuits routes if he’s not the primary option, but he can separate and succeed on all three levels when it’s his time.
“Missouri exploited Burden’s yards-after-catch talent with a barrage of short throws, but NFL teams are much more likely to diversify his usage, activating his complete skill set and big-play potential.”
Burden joins Armand Membou on the list of Tigers selected this year, a list expected to grow through Day 3 of the draft. Remaining Tiger prospects include Cook and receiver Theo Wease Jr.
