Luther Burden fell to the 2nd round in the 2025 draft. A year ago, almost everybody thought the Missouri standout was a 1st round lock. He was a great athlete and highly productive in college football's toughest conference. So what changed? There were a few factors. Burden's stat line dipped last season. Part of it was quarterback issues and his overall usage in the offense. There were also rumors about him being somewhat of a headcase. He's reserved and not known for being the best practice player.
Coaches and teammates refuted that, but it is what it is. Prominent analyst Matt Waldman believes it had more to do with Burden's perception. Due to how he was used in Missouri's offense, NFL people let themselves believe he is primarily a slot receiver who doubles as a gadget guy. That was a big mistake. Waldman claims this is a trap teams have fallen into before. They're too focused on what a receiver is rather than what he can become.
He remembers two big names who came into the league with the same label.
Most of you are old enough to remember that A.J. Brown was a slot receiver at Ole Miss and Justin Jefferson manned the slot at LSU. Analysts underrated both players based on their roles, failing to adequately document their skills that transcend the results...
...Luther Burden III's data may scream dink-and-dunk and/or gadget archetypes like Robinson, Mecole Hardman, and Tavon Austin, but you might as well have seen smoke on Instagram while scanning your phone during previews in a movie theater and screamed FIRE!!!! None of these three gadgets had complete games with routes or at the point of the catch.
Luther Burden III is a far more complete route runner than characterized, and his speed will translate to the vertical game. Burden demonstrated position-specific techniques and concepts on film that some data analysts couldn't quantify due to sample size, but these skills led to route success beyond the gadget game.
Ben Johnson likely saw what Luther Burden could be.
As an offensive head coach, that is his job: finding how to get the best out of his players' talent. Luther Burden always had high capability. It's not his fault Missouri never fully understood how to exploit it. For the endlessly creative Johnson, that won't be an issue. Besides, his offensive scheme is geared around the slot receiver. Amon-Ra St. Brown feasted in this offense, and Burden is significantly faster and stronger than he is. If the rookie can develop the necessary routines an NFL player requires, he couldn't have asked for a better situation. If Waldman is correct, he will become much more dangerous at this level. A.J. Brown and Justin Jefferson have already proved this. Never let how a player was used in college dictate his future.
