2025 NFL Draft: Missouri star Luther Burden III, potential first-rounder, to skip bowl game after declaring

Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III will enter the 2025 NFL Draft and skip the Tigers’ bowl game to prepare, he told ESPN. Burden, who is foregoing his final year of collegiate eligibility, is widely considered one of the top offensive prospects in the draft process. 

“I feel like this is the best time to enter the draft,” Burden told ESPN. “I’m confident in myself and what I can do at the next level. I’m ready for the next step.”

Burden was a significant recruiting win for the Tigers and coach Eli Drinkwitz when he committed to Missouri during the 2022 recruiting cycle. The No. 14 prospect nationally and No. 2 wide receiver in his class, he is the second-highest ranked player to ever sign with Missouri out of high school. 

He made his presence known immediately. Burden logged 10 starts as a freshman and collected 45 catches for 375 yards and five touchdowns. He also returned a punt for a touchdown and had two touchdowns rushing. 

Burden had 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns through the air in 2023 as a sophomore, earning second-team CBS Sports All-America honors. Burden finishes his three-year Missouri career with 192 catches for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns. 

Burden’s draft stock 

Burden is seen as a consensus first-round prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft. Though he played all over the field for the Tigers, his 5-foot-11 frame means that his most likely professional future is in the slot. Burden is at his best in space with the ball in his hands; he has the agility and moves to make multiple defenders miss on a consistent basis. In his most recent mock draft for CBS Sports, Chris Trapasso projected Burden to the Indianapolis Colts with the 13th overall pick. 

“The Colts give Anthony Richardson another dynamic weapon in Burden,…


Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/2025-nfl-draft-missouri-star-luther-burden-iii-potential-first-rounder-to-skip-bowl-game-after-declaring/

Author : Will Backus

Publish date : 2024-12-02 19:32:00

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