Devy Digest: Luther Burden III

Andy Pham gives a detailed look at Missouri WR Luther Burden III heading into the 2024 season. Can Burden finish as WR1 in the class?

Missouri Tigers
Position: Wide Receiver
Luther Burden III
5’11” 208 lbs
Age: 20
Draft Eligible: 2024

Stats

Who is Luther Burden III?

Burden was a five-star in the composites and attended East St. Louis High in Saint Louis, Illinois. Burden was a spectacular athlete in High School, and his Senior season concluded with 66 receptions for 1,085 yards and 18 touchdowns; he added a touchdown on the ground and was an electric returner, with 21 punt returns for 852 yards and eight touchdowns. Burden was a weapon, a coveted recruit, and ranked as a top 10 prospect in the 2022 class. Burden held 41 offers but came down to Georgia, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Burden visited Missouri on several occasions and chose to stay close to home, which was a coup for Missouri and its recruiting class. That 2022 recruiting class would make Missouri a serious contender with other recruits as in 2024, they were able to get a top 10 overall recruit, Williams Nwaneri, who is an edge rusher, and they were able to get five recruits in the top 200 and grabbed several high profile transfer targets. On the football field, Burden also made an impact. He started ten games and was used as a weapon to get the ball in his hands, which allowed him to create after the catch. Burden’s impact on and off the field cannot be understated, and a legacy-changing player for the program.

Strengths

Burden is an excellent creator after the catch and a playmaker with the ball in his hands. Burden has excellent vision to help him create after the catch. It’s almost as if he’s playing chess, thinking two and three moves ahead and already looking past his nearest defender, as he has the lateral quickness to make his nearest defender miss. Burden eats up the ground and gains chunk yardage quickly. We knew coming in from high school that he was excellent at creating after the catch.

As a freshman, one thing we did not see that brought some slight hesitation was a diverse route tree and whether he could be a player who could win multiple ways and beat his corner as a route runner. Those concerns were answered this past season as Missouri changed how they used Burden. They would scheme him up as a freshman and let him win at what he does best. This past season, Missouri used him as the best player on the field and deployed him as a route runner, and he was able to win at all three levels as a receiver. Burden is a speedy receiver with good enough route running and someone who tracks the ball well and should have no issues growing into an even bigger deep-threat target. Burden shows strong hands at the catch point and silences many critics by evolving his game and becoming a complete playmaker.

In his third year in college, it’s safe to assume the best is yet to come with Burden, and he could continue to refine his craft. He is arguably a top-three receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Burden fits the modern game of the NFL, where you want to get your playmakers the ball in space and let them create.

Improvements/Concerns