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2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Luther Burden III (WR – Missouri)

FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III. And check out our entire 2025 NFL Draft Guide.

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2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Luther Burden III

Luther Burden III (WR – Missouri)

5-foot-11 | 208 Pounds

Background

Luther Burden is a St. Louis native and five-star recruit who has been contributing ever since his freshman season, a year in which he caught 45-375-6 (8.3). Made his sophomore season by far his best, with an 86-1,212-9 (14.1) line, then followed that up by posting 61-676-6 (11.1) this past year before declaring.

Positives

Three-year contributor who’s been starting ever since he arrived on campus, playing on the outside as a freshman before moving into the slot the following year. Compactly-built player with average height/length but good musculature. Besides lining up in the slot and occasionally out wide, works from motion and even takes the occasional snap out of the backfield. Shows good suddenness on his split release vs. press.

As a route-runner, Burden uses his stop-start burst and quickness to create separation against off-coverage; sells double-moves well. Also does a nice job of using his hands through the route, with good balance to stay on track through contact. Has good speed to function as a deep threat off of slot fades/inverted fades. Settles into soft spots against zone coverage. Plays bigger than his frame would suggest by being willing to go up and high-point the ball, with good adjustments/body control.

Burden has a reliable pair of hands. Shows impressive focus/concentration to come down with contested catches in tight coverage; struggled in that regard as a freshman, but has caught 55.9% of contested catches over the past two years (19/34), per Pro Football Focus (PFF). A dynamic player with the ball in his hands, combining excellent vision, suddenness, agility and contact balance. Consequently, the team moved him around the formation to manufacture touches for him with room to work. Plays with physicality to finish his runs, delivering some punishment to opposing defenders and grinding out some yards after contact. Pretty competitive as a blocker.

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Negatives

Wasn’t able to match his 2023 production this past season, and production is somewhat padded by manufactured touches. Evaluation is complicated by his relative lack of outside snaps and less productive freshman season when playing there.

Burden’s route tree is relatively limited, with a lot of screens, hitches/stop routes, curls and other patterns of that nature. His technique as a route runner is still a work in progress as well; can go through the stem of some of his routes a little bit high. It’d be nice to see him sink his hips and snap off routes more often. There’s a little bit of drift at the stems of some of his routes which lets opponents back into the play.

Summary

A dynamic player with the ball in his hands, Burden’s combination of speed, quickness, vision, balance and physicality led the Tigers to scheme up ways to get him the ball, whether on underneath throws, sweeps, screens or otherwise. He also offers some impressive traits as a receiver, with good stop-start quickness to create separation, impressive tracking and body control and a strong pair of hands.

As it currently stands, he doesn’t have a ton of recent experience playing outside and will need to continue diversifying his route tree and polishing his route-running technique, but that doesn’t look like it will stop him from being a first-round pick.

Projection: Round 1

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