Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III was lighting up the scoreboard during his sophomore season. Missouri went 11-2 a season ago and finished 6-2 in SEC Conference play. We will see if the Tigers can repeat what they did last season, but they will have their best playmaker back in 2024.
During his sophomore season, he caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. Burden III averaged 14.1 yards per catch. He also rushed for 31 yards on seven carries and averaged 4.4 yards per rush. Luther Burden III did not score a touchdown off a rushing attempt, but it goes to show Missouri will get him the football in many different ways.
Burden III is 5’11” and weighs 208 lbs. He hopes to have the same success during his junior season. Luther Burden III would have been one of the top wide receivers in last year’s draft class. Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State, Rome Odunze from Washington, and Malik Nabers from LSU were the top three wide receivers in the class of 2024.
Missouri Tigers Wide Receiver Luther Burden III Is Projected To Be the Top Wide Receiver In the 2025 NFL Draft
Next year, Burden III could very well be the top wide receiver in the class of 2025 for the NFL. If he dominates SEC competition again this season, there will be no doubt that he will be the first wide receiver off the board.
Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona and Emeka Egbuka from Ohio State could be two other wide receivers who will go in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. CBS Sports Chris Trapasso has Luther Burden III being selected ninth overall by the New Orleans Saints in the 2025 NFL Draft. Trapasso said:
“The Saints need to get more high-caliber receiving talent on this roster, and Burden is exactly that.”
New Orleans will need some receiving help after the 2024 season. It is a team that if they miss the playoffs this season, they could be entering a rebuild. According to nfldraftbuzz.com, some of the strengths of Burden III are as follows:
“He’s also a violent runner with the ball in his hands. He’s very good working outside the numbers, showing excellent ball-tracking skills, and Burden does the little things well downfield, including leaving enough room on the sideline for his quarterback to drop in a throw. Burden tracks the ball well downfield and consistently runs under long throws.”
Some of the weaknesses are as follows:
“Burden doesn’t have the ability as a run blocker or the violent run-after-catch ability. Burden isn’t going to overwhelm opposing defensive backs with speed and athleticism.”
There is a lot that Burden III can work on during the college football season with the Missouri Tigers. He is going to be a nightmare for other SEC teams this season. Burden III can take over a game for the Tigers offense when his number gets called upon and that is what NFL scouts want to see.
