There might not have been a more intriguing pick on Day 2 of the NFL Draft than the Chicago Bears’ own Luther Burden III.
The dynamic Mizzou wide receiver, who was a former five-star recruit, boasts monstrous potential as a playmaking demon in new coach Ben Johnson’s offense.
But will that happen right out the gate? Perhaps not.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay included Burden on a list of five rookies who actually landed in the worst possible place this draft, suggesting he’s unlikely to make a major impact in Year 1 with Johnson and Caleb Williams.
“While the potential is clearly there for [Burden] to become an NFL star, there’s also a chance he ends up becoming the latest in a long line of the Chicago Bears’ early-round draft busts,” Kay writes.
A little harsh, no?
While the author didn’t necessarily blame Burden’s lackluster (by his standards) junior season on the receiver, noting poor QB play and a generally uninspiring offensive scheme as major culprits, Kay called the Bears’ pick of Burden “puzzling” given the lack of immediate need for a receiver.
“Burden has joined a receiver’s room headlined by incumbent No. 1 DJ Moore and Rome Odunze, Chicago’s first-round pick last year who is looking to bounce back from his own disappointing 2024 campaign. The Bears are likely to feature a heavy dose of Colston Loveland in the passing attack too, with the No. 10 overall pick set to compete with fellow pass-catching tight end Cole Kmet for snaps and targets as a rookie,” he added.
“Although we haven’t seen exactly what head coach Ben Johnson has planned for the offense he’s installing around promising QB Caleb Williams, it’s unlikely the system will result in a No. 3 receiver putting up big numbers—especially after said receiver struggled in his final collegiate season.”
On paper, that’s tough to argue with.
While Burden will very likely have a place in the offense and potentially as a punt return given his dynamism, there are a lot of mouths to feed on this offense already. Plus, with as many targets as Moore commands and the heavy use of tight ends, Burden probably will be lucky to top 40 catches as a rookie.
That said, the Burden pick is about more than just 2025, which Kay acknowledges given that Kmet and Moore’s long-term futures in Chicago aren’t totally assured: “If one or both of those players depart in free agency, Burden should see plenty more action next season and will get a fair shake at becoming a star then.”
Kmet in particular feels more likely to leave Chicago soon with his contract becoming tradable/curable next year. Moore, who just signed a four-year extension last year, is far less likely to depart. But if the Bears think Burden and Odunze can eventually take ever for him, it’s not impossible.
The bottom line: expecting too much from Burden in 2025 might leave Bears fans disappointed. But that doesn’t mean his future can’t still be bright.
For another perspective on Burden in Chicago, check out Mizzou beat writer Eli Hoff on Taylor Doll’s latest Making Monsters.
Podcast version:
YouTube version:
Our 2nd City Gridiron Podcast Channel is available on Apple, Spotify, iHeart, Audacy, and other popular podcast platforms, so be sure to hit subscribe wherever you get your audio. Our YouTube home is also called 2nd City Gridiron, so subscribe there for our podcasts and other video content.