Behind the football career that made Luther Burden III into the steal of the 2025 NFL Draft

On the second day of Bears Rookie Minicamp, the unusual happened for Luther Burden III.

During 7-on-7 drills, Burden slipped out left on a quick out route. The ball came his way, but glanced off his hands for a drop. Bears head coach Ben Johnson talked with Burden after that play. Redemption came very soon after.

Later, in 7-on-7 drills, Burden ran a route through the defense and made a leaping grab in the end zone between two defenders. 

That’s what the Bears saw all throughout the pre-draft process.

"When the ball was in his hands, he was one of the best guys that we evaluated," Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle said.

That’s what Burden became known for all his life.

As a young player, he became an electrifying talent who was synonymous with scoring touchdowns. That’s a reason why the Book of Burden has so many pages.

That book will add another chapter with the Chicago Bears.

The early chapters

Burden’s football career started to blossom at Cardinal Ritter High School in St. Louis.

As a Lion, he caught, rushed and kicked for a varsity team that included future Detroit Lion Jameson Williams and made an appearance in the 2018 Class 3 MSHSAA state championship game.

Before his senior year in 2021, Burden, who had committed to Oklahoma and would have been in the same recruiting class with Caleb Williams, transferred to East St. Louis in order to graduate early and enroll early at whatever university he chose.

At East St. Louis, Burden’s reputation preceded him. The coaching staff there knew exactly where to start, though.

"You always heard about Luther Burden, the player," East St. Louis wide receivers coach Terry Fenton said. "He was very raw, he had natural talent. So, we knew we had to refine this route running and that's what we did."

Fenton isn’t a stranger to working with talented receivers. He mentored Dominic Lovett, who played with Burden at Missouri and was drafted by the Lions in the 2025 NFL Draft.

When it began to come together in East St. Louis, it shone bright. The Flyers played a schedule that included national powerhouses in IMG Academy and St. John Bosco, plus St. Louis contenders Christian Brothers College High School and De Smet High School.

In 12 senior season games at East St. Louis, Burden scored 28 total touchdowns. Fenton was convinced.

"At that moment, I knew that he was ready to take college football by storm," Fenton said.

‘To whom much is given, much is required’

Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz began writing his chapter on Luther Burden III’s first day of practice with the Missouri Tigers.

The tale of Burden in Columbia started as soon as he left high school. He arrived as an early enrollee as a five-star receiver with mountains of pressure on his shoulders. He was the first major athlete to benefit from the Name, Image and Likeness legislations passed by Congress in the summer of 2021.

"This is a guy who's got his own bag of chips throughout the entire state of Missouri," Drinkwitz said.

Above all, he was supposed to change the program as Mizzou’s highest-rated recruit in years. 

In Columbia, first-year players have to earn their number in practice. It doesn’t matter if they’re a transfer or true freshman, all newcomers earn their jersey as a rite of passage. Drinkwitz instills this rule because he wants to roll back entitlement before it has a chance to set in at the college football level.

This was the SEC, after all. The Tigers were fighting to prove they belong in arguably the best conference in college football.

Burden also had a target on his back. Some future NFL players – namely, future draft picks Kris Abrams-Draine, Ennis Rakestraw and JC Carlies – wanted to see just how good the true freshman was.

"He had multiple people trying to go against him saying, ‘Hey, we're going to shut this five star down," Drinkwitz said. "’He's going to get a rude awakening when he comes to college football.’"

Drinkwitz and wide receivers coach Jacob Peeler, who coached NFL star receivers DK Metcalf and AJ Brown at Ole Miss, saw all they needed to see. 

Burden earned his jersey number after his first practice at Missouri. He claimed No. 3 and began his college career.

What impressed Drinkwitz was how quickly Burden changed his ways. Drinkwitz said Burden loved candy and sweets, but set those aside quickly for fish and healthier foods. It was all in the name of being a high-level competitor.

In his college career, Burden scored 26 touchdowns in 38 career games. He would have had more, but Burden lifted Missouri to consecutive 10-win seasons. There were games in 2024 where he didn’t play after halftime because the Tigers had built a lead.

It was because of him, especially after his 2023 All-American season put him on the map. That 2023 season included a breakout game that lifted the Tigers.

"To whom much is given, much is required," Drinkwitz said. "I think Lu grew from a character standpoint, from a maturity standpoint, from a development standpoint and he's handled it all really well."

Touchdown Luther

Peeler was on the sideline for one of the most pivotal plays in the 2023 Missouri season.

Missouri hosted No. 15 Kansas State in a game the Tigers had circled. K-State drubbed Missouri the year before in Manhattan, Kansas. The Tigers wanted their revenge, and their best players would have to make those plays.

Burden was the one making them on his rainy September day. He scored the Tigers’ first touchdown on a 43-yard catch where he burst through the coverage cornerback Jacob Parrish and safety Marques Sigle attempted on him, hauled in a long pass from quarterback Brady Cook and finished in the end zone.

"He had the nickname growing up, Touchdown Luther," Peeler said. "There's a reason for that."

His best play in that game was his second touchdown, however.

In the fourth quarter, with MU trailing KSU 24-20, Burden and the Missouri offense had just reached the Kansas State 26-yard line on a long run by Cody Schrader, which was aided by a 15-yard personal foul. This set up Burden’s best play of the day.

"That play wasn't even designed to go to him," Peeler said. "He was kind of a guy that was trying to draw attention to open up another teammate and they had it covered and they and Brady dumped it down to him."

On the following play, Burden lined up in the slot as usual. On this play, he was set to be a decoy. Cook pump-fake like he was throwing to Burden to draw a defender away from his spot. It worked, but a Wildcats defender bore down on Cook. 

The quarterback had no choice. He dumped a pass off to Burden eight yards behind the line of scrimmage at the KSU 34-yard line. Two defenders had angles on Burden, one that would’ve stopped him for a minimal gain, the other who could have stopped Burden after a decent gain. Burden outran both for a 26-yard touchdown and a 27-24 lead.

Burden didn’t break 10 tackles, hurdle a human or anything other worldly. On one play, he simply proved he was just a better player than everyone else.

"That shows you that mindset. That Touchdown Luther," Peeler said. "He took it and ran down the sideline and made that big play, and it ultimately ended up being a big difference in the game."

That mindset – the Touchdown Luther – stems from being ultra-competitive. Fenton said it’s like a Tom Brady drive. At Missouri, no matter what it was, Burden never turned it off.

"I just remember one day we're doing dodgeball on the gamefield and here's a guy that literally walked on the field, and he single handedly won the whole thing for his team," Peeler said. "He's just so competitive."

Both Burden touchdowns were overshadowed by the 61-yard, walk-off, SEC-record and game-winning field goal by Harrison Mevis, but Missouri does not win this game without Burden. 

It was a turning point in the Drinkwitz era, and the Tigers don’t turn their program around without Burden.

"You hold your breath when he gets the ball in his hands," Peeler said.

Burden, as told by those who know him best

Burden’s next chapter will reside in Chicago after the Bears made him the 39th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Burden was originally projected as a first-round pick. Fenton said he thought Burden had the best shot at being selected by Dallas, Tampa Bay, Buffalo or Green Bay. When those teams passed on Burden, he fell out of the first round.

Plenty speculated that off-the-field issues played into why Burden fell. Draft analysts speculated, some cited anonymous sources, saying he would check out if he didn’t get enough targets or had bad practice habits. It led to experts wondering out loud how Burden would coexist on a Bears team with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Cole Kmet and Colston Loveland.

Those closest to Burden swore by how those concerns were unfounded. 

"He never had any issues at Mizzou, so that was my problem," Fenton said. "Never got in trouble. He doesn't drink. He doesn't smoke, none of that. So it was just very shocking to hear those things about him and see him, so I know it kind of hurt him because he's not that kind of person."

One of the examples those close to him used of his personality was his recruitment process. When Burden decommitted from Oklahoma and was ready to pick his choice, Georgia, Alabama and Missouri were his finalists. 

At the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club of St. Louis, Burden tossed both hats aside and donned a Tigers hat. In a scenario where he could have gone anywhere and taken any NIL deal, Burden turned down Georgia and wanted to prove he could be a hometown hero.

"It was good for him, staying home," Fenton said. "He could've went to Georgia, but in staying home and been a hometown hero, I think that meant more. I think he built his brand and think it's bigger here in Missouri than it would've been in Georgia."

At Missouri, Burden proved to be unselfish in the locker room.

Even when Burden was playing an All-American season, his teammate Cody Schrader was the story of college football after going from a Division II program to being a Heisman Trophy finalist. Burden helped amplify Schrader's game, embodying the "no block, no rock" rule as Schrader ran for 1,627 yards in his final year at Missouri.

"He nicknamed him Cody the Shredder, and he's like, ‘We gotta do our deal for Cody,’" Peeler said. "He was very selfless and maintained that his entire career, and when he had his opportunities, he took advantage of it."

Starting his NFL chapter

Fenton saw plenty of Burden plays as a young player. None of them stood out as much as Burden’s most iconic play from 2024.

Trailing South Carolina in the final minutes of the game on the road, Cook looked deep for Burden. With a defender on him, Burden shifted his body to make a one-handed grab, threw the defender off him and scored a go-ahead touchdown.

It was, as everyone who spoke for this story has said, "Luther being Luther."

As Fenton watched, it was a culmination of all the years of practice, work and support paying off.

"It was just one of those things that's just like, ‘Man, wow.’ Man, he always finds a way to amaze you," Fenton said. "The tough plays, he just makes look routine."

As Burden begins his NFL career, he’ll have to compete for his spot. First-year head coach Ben Johnson stressed that plenty of times in before the draft, after the draft and in general.

Burden will be ready because he’s adjusted his game in every chapter of his career. He won’t expect anything less in the NFL.

"I didn’t have any jitters," he said on May 9. "I’ve been ready for this."

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