2025 NFL Draft Film Study: Luther Burden III (WR, Missouri)
An in-depth look at Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III
The Missouri Tigers are producing legitimate NFL talent lately, and wide receiver Luther Burden III might be the best prospect the program has produced in years.
A 5-star recruit out of East Saint Louis, Burden was the top-ranked player in the state of Illinois back in 2022. His offers included virtually every top-tier program, but he opted to stay close to home to play for Missouri.
Burden saw full-time action as a true freshman, and came back in 2023 as a sophomore to light up opposing defenses. He finished the year with 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and 9 touchdowns, earning first-team All-SEC and second-team All-American honors.
On top of those traditional numbers, Burden averaged an impressive 3.29 yards per route run. That was good enough for seventh in the FBS, highlighting how much of a focal point he was in Missouri’s offense.
Now, Burden has the opportunity to take another big leap forward in 2024. After diving into the film, it’s clear to see why he’s already in early contention for WR1 in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Film Study
What immediately stands out on tape is how effectively Burden is able to run his routes and maximize separation. He was primarily used in the slot for the Tigers, but at 5’11” and 208 he’s a much bigger body than a lot of college players you see operate at the position.
Burden is so gifted athletically with that frame that he’s able to make the most subtle movements to maximize his separation. Even on a simple bender up the seam, he’s able to make subtle movements around a defensive back in off coverage to get around them without losing speed.
Once Burden is able to get the defensive back to commit to turning outside with their hips, he only needs an effortless step with his outside foot to bend the seam back inside and around the defensive back. This gives the quarterback plenty of space to make an easy throw for a big play.
Despite just two years at the college level, Burden flashes the route running of a seasoned veteran. This example below highlights another rep against off coverage, with Burden gearing down without showing any tells of where his release is going.
Once Burden commits, the defensive back tries to get a hand on him, but is left completely hopeless in disrupting the star wideout’s timing. Burden gets a clean release, then bends back outside and is wide open for another big play.
Even when defensive backs are able to get physical with Burden, it doesn’t seem to phase him. His 208-pound frame plays a big part in that, especially after watching other slots over the years in the 160-180 pound range get completely thrown off of their route.
This play below is a great example of how Burden takes advantage of defenders trying to be physical with him. Instead of trying to run away from the contact, Burden leans into it, allowing him to generate a natural push-off to get out of his break and give his quarterback a cleaner throwing window.
Burden takes a huge shot at the end of this play, but is able to get back up and keep playing.
Along with being a gifted route runner, Burden is extremely dangerous after the catch. He averaged 8.4 yards after the catch per reception in 2023, looking capable of turning even the most routine catches into explosive plays.
This play against LSU shows off Burden’s unreal elusiveness and vision, along with an example of the creative ways that Missouri utilized their star playmaker. With Burden operating out of the backfield, he runs what eventually would have been a hitch if he was operating in the slot, while his teammate clears out over the top with a glance route.
Once Burden gets the ball, he makes a potential first-round pick in linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. look silly.
It’s not just Burden’s immediate move after the catch, but his vision to see where his teammates and blockers are that turns this into such an explosive play. That vision shows up often, with Burden doing a great job of staying patient to set up his blocks while also knowing when to attack.
As if those traits weren’t enough from an athletic, well-built slot receiver, Burden is also an asset in contested catch situations. He caught 13 of 23 contested catch throws this past season, showing impressive leaping ability, body control, and strong hands to come away with a catch on 50-50 balls more often than not.
There are only a couple of questions marks to Burden’s game, but the majority of them feel like they’re related to effort. It’s worth noting that the nature of wide receiver play means that it’s hard for a receiver to dig out 100% play speed over and over and consecutive plays.
However, the majority of effort concerns with Burden seem to come up when the ball isn’t designed to come his way. This play against LSU is an example where Burden is being asked to sell a Dig route to get the safety to commit and allow his teammate to get open over the top on a Post.
Burden is such a dominant player that defenses will still hone in on him. However, against more veteran NFL secondaries, they’ll recognize the lack of effort and focus on the rest of the offense.
What’s odd is that lack effort would usually show up as a run blocker. While his technique isn’t great in that part of the game, he also doesn’t give up as a blocker when initially beat. This play is a good example of that.
Burden gears down far too late when as a blocker. Instead of widening his base and trying to stay in front of the DB, Burden gets too excited and sprints up to the defender, allowing him to run around. That could have ended the play, but Burden sticks with it and is able to wall off the defender as his running back bounces outside.
Overall, there’s a lot to Burden’s game that’s already NFL ready. He’ll have another year to put up big numbers for the Tigers, but he has some tough competition at the position for the 2025 NFL Draft.
Still, with a few minor tweaks, there’s no reason Burden can’t secure the WR1 spot with another strong season in 2024.