2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Luther Burden

Last Updated: 10/5/2024

Career Stats

Summary 

Luther Burden arrived in Missouri as a five-star recruit and the second-best wide receiver prospect in the nation. In his freshman year, he showcased big-play potential on limited touches, but he truly emerged as a key player during his sophomore season, amassing 1,200 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior, he aims to build on this success and solidify his position as the top wide receiver in the upcoming NFL Draft.

Standing just under 6 feet tall but weighing 208 pounds, Burden is a stout receiver who uses his frame effectively. He exhibits remarkable physicality after the catch, often delivering hits rather than taking them, making him one of the country’s premier yards-after-catch players. His combination of speed and ferocity allows him to generate explosive plays regularly. Additionally, his change-of-direction ability helps him gain yards after the catch, though he occasionally struggles with elusiveness in one-on-one situations.

Burden’s understanding of leverage enhances his quickness in routes, enabling him to create separation effectively. While he has displayed a solid route tree, there’s room for growth to reach elite status. He sometimes rounds off his routes, but this is not a significant concern moving forward. When pressed by defenders, his physicality and hand-fighting skills help him easily disengage. Once the ball is in the air, he has a strong ability to locate it and adjust accordingly. At the catch point, Burden shows the skill to attack the ball, demonstrating impressive body control and adaptability in hand and body placement.

In addition to his receiving skills, Burden has made contributions in the run game, leveraging his YAC abilities. He showcases good vision and lateral movement, but what truly sets him apart in this class is his exceptional contact balance.

Strengths

• Physicality
• Twitchy athlete
• Body control
• Contact balance

Weakness

• Lacks open-field elusiveness
• Limited route tree
• Relies on body catching at times

Honors and Awards

• Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist (2023)
• First-Team All-SEC (AP and Coaches) (2023)
• Second-Team All-America (AP and CBS Sports/247 Sports) (2023)

Athletic Testing

• 40-yard dash: TBD
• Vertical: TBD
• Broad Jump: TBD
• Three-cone: TBD
• Shuttle: TBD
• Bench: TBD

NFL Role Prediction

• X wide receiver 

Fantasy Outlook

Luther Burden’s ability after the catch paired with his strong route-running ability makes him the premier receiver in this class. He is slightly undersized standing only 5-foot-11, but he has already drawn Deebo Samuel comps — which I agree with. He should step in from Day 1 and make an immediate impact to your fantasy roster.

Player Comparisons

• Deebo Samuel
• Ja’Marr Chase
• DJ Moore