Dallas Cowboys 2025 draft scouting report: WR Luther Burden III

We proceed our 2025 NFL Draft preview of draft prospects that might curiosity the Dallas Cowboys. In the present day we’re extensive receiver Luther Burden III from Missouri.

Luther Burden III

WRMissouri TigersJunior5-star recruit 5’11”208 lbs

Photograph by Jay Biggerstaff/Getty Photos

Historical past

Luther Burden III, born on December 12, 2003, in St. Louis, Missouri, attended East St. Louis Senior Excessive Faculty, the place he was a standout in each soccer and basketball. In his senior 12 months of soccer, he recorded 71 receptions for 1,174 yards and 20 touchdowns, incomes him MaxPreps Participant of the Yr and a 5-star recruit ranking from main scouting providers.

He was one of many prime prospects within the 2022 recruiting class, drawing consideration from a number of main faculty soccer applications earlier than committing to Missouri. He rapidly grew to become a key participant within the Tigers’ offense and scored eight complete touchdowns in his freshman 12 months. He had 45 receptions for 375 receiving yards whereas additionally including 18 rush makes an attempt for 88 yards.

In 2023, Burden had his best 12 months as a receiver. He led the staff catching 86 passes for 1,212 yards and scoring 9 touchdowns. He was named First-team All-SEC for a extremely productive season.

In his junior 12 months Missouri had its justifiable share of struggles, particularly on offense, and Burden felt that wrestle as he tried to rally the offense. He ended the 12 months with 61 receptions for 676 receiving yards and 6 receiving landing. He additionally added two speeding touchdowns and 115 rush yards. He was once more named First-team All-SEC and declared for the draft.

2024 Statistics

537 Offensive Snaps80 Targets61 Receptions 676 Receiving Yards6 Receiving TDs373 YAC30 Missed Tackles115 Rush Yards2 Rush TDs3 Penalties

NFL Mix/Professional Day

TBC

Awards

First-team All-SEC (2024)First-team All-SEC (2023)

Scorecard

General- 88.8Speed- 90Acceleration- 96Agility- 89Strength- 78Catching- 92Route Operating- 82YAC Capability- 96Blocking- 70Discipline- 93

THE GOOD:

Burden exhibits an explosive first step and change-of-direction capability, making him a big risk with the ball in his palms.
Makes use of his velocity and burst to get off the road and into his route stems rapidly.
Distinctive at producing yards after the catch on account of his imaginative and prescient, agility, and power.
Good palms, particularly in contested conditions; he has a excessive catch price even beneath stress and in visitors.
A troublesome participant to carry down when defenders get to him. He led the NCAA in missed tackles pressured amongst this 12 months’s extensive receiver draft class.
Can line up in numerous positions of the sector, together with out of the backfield, which provides unpredictability to an offense.
Bodily and aggressive as a blocker.
Has punt return expertise.

THE BAD:

Whereas he has proven enchancment, his route tree is considerably restricted. That is most notable when lined up as an out of doors receiver.
Must refine his route operating to be extra assorted and efficient in opposition to NFL-level defenses.
His expertise in opposition to press protection is proscribed, having performed principally from the slot. (462 snaps from the slot to 55 snaps out extensive in 2024).
Consistency in his total play dropped in 2024. A few of that may be written off by Missouri struggling on offense, however Burden regarded noticeably completely different himself.

THE FIT

Anticipated to be a mid-first-round choose within the 2025 NFL Draft, some analysts rank Burden as a prime 15 prospect on account of his dynamic playmaking capability. There isn’t any doubt from his 2023 tape that he’s one of many higher offensive skills on this 12 months’s draft class together with his largest trait, versatility, being his most intriguing power.

He does include questions. His model of play results in considerations of over utilization and changing into burnt out rapidly. Due to his capability to lineup all over the place and even take snaps within the backfield there’s a basic fear that Burden might get overused rapidly resulting in an early explosion of manufacturing early within the season, which then tails off rapidly. The opposite concern is his lack of expertise as exterior receiver. This results in his route tree being restricted and expertise getting off the road in opposition to bodily defensive backs additionally quick.

Burden is ideally fitted to offenses that make the most of movement, fast recreation ideas, and performs designed to get the ball into his palms in area. His versatility might enable him to thrive in each unfold and West Coast offenses, in addition to groups on the lookout for a Swiss Military knife to stretch defenses laterally. His capability to make performs after the catch, mixed together with his bodily instruments, make him an intriguing prospect for Dallas and a implausible complement to CeeDee Lamb.

COMPARISON

Deebo Samuel, San Francisco 49ers

BTB GRADE

fifteenth

CONSENSUS RANKING

sixteenth(Consensus rating based mostly on the typical rating from 90 main scoring providers)