The Chicago Bears wanted TreVeyon Henderson at #39 overall in the 2nd round. That has been established. However, they had a backup plan in case that didn't happen. GM Ryan Poles and head coach Ben Johnson were surprised Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden was still on the board. They had a high grade on him in the 1st round. They'd expected him to be long gone by that point. When Henderson went to New England at #38, the decision became easy. Burden became a Bear.
People immediately tried figuring out why the receiver fell so far. Many rumors indicated he had personality concerns. Some questioned his work ethic. Others felt he was closed off and temperamental. There was also a narrative that Burden is little more than a YAC merchant. He's great after the catch, but not worth anything else. Former NFL tight end Clay Harbor decided to watch the young receiver in person to see if that was true. He came away with a far different assessment.
Luther Burden needed to land in the right place.
Shocking as it may sound, that ended up being true with Chicago. In years past, this was the place where wide receivers went to die. However, a lot has changed in the past few months. Not only will Luther Burden get to play for the endlessly creative Johnson as a play caller, but he'll have the respected Antwaan Randle El as his position coach. These two helped Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams both become excellent NFL receivers. Burden will have somebody to help keep him disciplined and somebody to constantly stretch his imagination. If he can't find success in this environment, the guy was never meant to make it in the NFL. It is good to hear he takes the important details of his position seriously.
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