Luther Burden III Can Be Weapon X in an NFL Offense

First Round Mock’s NFL Draft Analyst Rajvir Bal turned on the game film of Missouri’s Luther Burden III and saw a vision of what he could become.

One of the biggest hype trains for this college football season will be that of the Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III.

Since August 1, CBS, 33rd Team, Sporting news, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, CBS, and Draftwire have all mocked the Tigers’ 2025 NFL Draft prospect into the first round (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

That’s what I call getting the hype started.

This season will determine where Burden ends up on NFL team’s final draft boards, but for now I took a look at Burden on his 2023 game film to see for myself if the preseason hype was indeed warranted.

The more game film the better. The more perspective the better.

Now it’s time to see if this receiver is all hype, or if he is a true NFL talent waiting to happen.

Background

Burden was a five star prospect out of high school and committed to Mizzou in October of 2021 (per 247Sports).

Here’s a look at his production at Mizzou:

2022:

13 games, 45 receptions, 375 yards, 6 Touchdowns

2023: 

13 games, 86 receptions, 1212 yards, 9 Touchdowns

This Tigers’ receiver is in the 23rd percentile for height and 67th percentile for weight (per NFLDraftBuzz).

#3 Luther Burden III. 5-foot-11, 208 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Mid First-Round (I would select him)
Projected by 94.9% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of September 4, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film reviewed: Kentucky, Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, and Kansas State (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Report

The Good

Burden is one of these most dynamic players in college football. He is often in motion prior to the snap of the ball, and this helps him get open in multiple ways. His shiftiness is something that stands out, and he is one of the best RAC (run after catch) players I have evaluated. He has a knack for finding and exploiting holes in coverage with his top end speed. He is also very consistent on game film, always finding his way open in critical moments. In my opinion, Burden is gold for a visionary offensive coordinator. I will touch more on this later.

The Bad

There are a few knocks on his game. The first one is his small stature. Historically, smaller receivers have struggled in the NFL. Burden struggles on contested catches, and has a very poor catch radius. His route running is another concern. Burden often time runs elementary routes and he will struggle in the NFL doing that. Although I think this can be worked on, it is concerning for the time being.

My Vision

For the first time in one of these articles, I’m going to give my two cents on how I would coach Burden. If I was a tactical or extremely proficient offensive coordinator, I would use Burden in a very unconventional way. Think 49ers WR Deebo Samuel, but completely maximized. I believe that Burden could be drafted as the first ever running back-wide receiver hybrid. He should be getting carries and receptions routinely.

If Burden is put in the correct position, he could truly revolutionize modern NFL offense.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.