Luther Burden III Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Jason Clark/Getty Images)

School: Missouri

Class: Junior

Position: WR

HT: 5’10

WT: 185 lbs

Background: Luther Burden was a consensus 5-star in the class of 2022 out of St. Louis, Missouri. Burden went to high school at East St. Louis High School in Illinois. He was a top 15 player in the class, top 2 wide receiver, and the best player in the state of Illinois. He was named the MaxPreps player of the Year as a senior. Originally committed to Oklahoma, Burden later decommitted and flipped to play for his home state Missouri Tigers.

College: Burden started 10 games for the Tigers as a true freshman in 2022. He finished that season with 45 catches and nearly 400 yards. Burden earned First Team All-SEC honors and Second Team All-American honors as a sophomore after tallying 86 receptions, 1,212 yards, and 9 touchdowns. 2024 was a down year both for Missouri and for Burden. The team was a playoff hopeful, but they just could not put it together.

Strengths: Luther Burden is a sticky-handed wide receiver who plays a deceivingly physical game despite his size. Burden has a knack for finding soft spots in zone defense and getting those easy yards. Burden tracks the ball well over his shoulder and shows late hands to bring the ball in without much of a contest from cornerbacks. He can turn his head and track the ball without decelrating and losing forward momentum. A huge drop in production in his junior year should not be a huge concern,but is worth monitoring. Turn on the tape and you will still see Burden getting open despite being the focus of opponents’ scouting reports. Burden has a tremendous first step and explodes off the line to create separation within the first five yards. While he may be shorter than the average run blocking wide receiver, Burden is very effective in that department. He consistently wins blocks on the outside to clear an outside lane for the ball carrier.

Weaknesses: The weaknesses start with the injuries. He has dealt with multiple injuries and a serious illness all in 2024. His health is important to monitor as a guy who was heavily impacted this past season. He also needs to clean up his route running technique in the short areas of the field. He creates separation with the first step, but he has plenty of wasted movement through his route stem. Burden also does not have the top speed to create any separation in the deep areas of the field. He relies too heavily on those first few steps of the route to separate.

Conclusion: Luther Burden can end up being the best receiver in this class if his first two collegiate seasons accurately represent who he is as a player. If he can stay healthy and clean up his technique, he will be a Pro Bowl caliber player.

Scheme Fit: Scheme Versatile

Ideal Role: Slot Receiver

Best Team Fits: ATL, CIN, TB

Player Comparison: Jahan Dotson

Player Grade: Round 2 (88.6)