Let’s take a look at the best fits for Luther Burden III in the 2025 NFL draft, including a surprise candidate should the wide receiver drop into the early second round.
While the expectation is that the Missouri wide receiver will secure a spot in the first 32 picks, Luther Burden’s draft stock has a pretty wide range. There are some that believe he is a certified day one impact rookie WR, while others have their concerns.
Luther Burden III scouting report
Luther Burden’s name made waves before he’d played a single snap of college football, following his decision to play at Missouri. The young rising star was a consensus five star recruit out of high school, with interest from the likes of the Georgia Bulldogs and Nick Saban’s Alabama.
Instead he opted to play under Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri, setting the tone for other athletes to help build their local programs over going further afield to play for the big schools. To his credit, he has excelled with the program and is now one of the best Missouri football draft prospects in recent years.
At Mizzou Burden saw plenty of targets early in his career, but it was his second season when things really took off. He caught 86 passes for 1,209 receiving yards and nine touchdowns in 2023, including six 100+ yard performances that year.
Burden’s 2024 season was mixed. Missouri had issues with the offensive line, and the offense wasn’t anywhere near as effective as it had been the season prior with Cody Schrader running the ball.
Luther Burden III is electric after the catch, and his versatility as a receiver out of the slot will appeal to a lot of NFL franchises. He’s a great separator, explosive out of the gate, and the way he tracks the football and attacks it with his hands gives him the feel of a pro ready WR.
NFL scouts seem to have mixed reviews on Luther Burden. There are undoubtedly many things to love, and his potential as an elite slot receiver in the league stands out.
It’s important to remember that Burden chose not to play at a school like Georgia, where he probably would have produced far stronger numbers in a more balanced offense. There’s no way to truly tell, but Burden’s choice to play for Missouri may have masked just how good he can be a little. That means any team drafting him in the back end of the first round just might be getting a superstar for a fraction of the cost.
That being said, the biggest concern with Luther Burden is his consistency. Some games he looks untouchable, while others he appears to fade into the background. My personal concern with that is the games he vanishes in. Ohio State 2023 Bowl Game, just 15 yards and a touchdown, and against Alabama in 2024, three yards total.
Does he give up in games where he’s not getting the ball? Some seem to believe so.
If Luther Burden can tighten up his game and lock in for a full NFL season, whoever drafts him is getting a bargain.
Ideal landing spots for Luther Burden III
Luther Burden III is one of the top wide receivers in the 2025 draft. He’ll get a lot of interest on day one, and there’s several teams in the 20s that seem to be great fits. In my mind, Burden’s best course for success is pairing him with a standout tight end or one of the leagues best true WR1s.
With that in mind, here are three NFL teams that need WRs, and therefore might be a great fit for the Missouri receiver.
Pick #20: Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos mission has to be building around Bo Nix. His performance as a rookie was exceptional, even without elite-level talent at wide receiver or a standout run game. If the Broncos can find a franchise running back and add another wide receiver this offense could really elevate in 2025.
Of all the landing spots in the NFL draft, Luther Burden in Denver stands out. He’s a great fit alongside Courtland Sutton and the Broncos could do with a weapon in the slot.
Pick #28: Detroit Lions
Amon-Ra St. Brown plays just over 52% of his snaps out of the slot, but he’s extremely versatile and has proven to be a game changer no matter where he lines up.
If the Detroit Lions added Luther Burden to into the mix, they’d have an elite tight end, a true WR1 in St. Brown, a field stretcher with blistering speed in Jameson Williams, and then a difference maker in the slot.
The Lions are one well crafted draft away from making the Super Bowl. If they get it right, they’re well on their way. You could make a case that the Lions draft priorities should instead favor the trenches, but where’s the fun in that?
Pick #35: Tennessee Titans
It’s about time the Tennessee Titans wave off the Treylon Burks experiment. It never worked, he was drafted by a different staff and its time for a change.
Calvin Ridley will be joined by veteran Van Jefferson, with the Super Bowl winner signing for the Titans in free agency.
It’s looking like Tennessee will draft Cam Ward with the number one pick, and what better way to get his career started than by adding a rookie receiver with phenomenal upside in the very next round. The TItans are certainly thinking its possible too, with Luther Burden visiting in mid-April ahead of the draft.
Of course for this to happen Luther Burden needs to slide through the first round. That would involve WR needy teams in the league passing on him in favor of another option or another position. The Houston Texans, Green Bay Packers, Los Angeles Chargers and more could all take a swing, but if they don’t Tennessee absolutely should.
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