Chicago Bears rookie Luther Burden’s NFL Draft call out comes full circle

The Chicago Bears weren’t expecting Luther Burden to be available at their No. 39 overall pick. Neither did Burden, who had first-round aspirations of his own.

But now that the wide receiver is officially a member of the Bears, he is ready to prove all his NFL Draft doubters wrong. He even sent a fiery message to every team that passed on him, saying they will be, ‘dealt with.’ Overall, Burden seems locked into helping Chicago’s offense be as explosive as possible.

Still, he made plenty of headlines with his draft call out. Now, Burden’s reasoning makes much more sense. He wasn’t alone in believing he was a first-round talent, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.

“Luther Burden III wasn’t ready to call it a night,” Cronin wrote. “The former Missouri wide receiver had to channel his frustration and disappointment to clear his mind. For weeks, the teams he had visited during the lead-up to the 2025 NFL draft told him they believed he was worthy of a first-round pick.”

Luther Burden gives Chicago Bears dynamic threat

If Burden was consistently told he was a first-round talent, only to be passed up in the first-round, it makes sense why he would be furious. But the wide receiver has a premier opportunity to show off his full offensive arsenal with the Bears.

Chicago may already have DJ Moore and Rome Odunze on the roster, but Burden excelled in the slot during his time at Missouri. Head coach Ben Johnson is undoubtedly scheming up ways to get him open in space. Furthermore, even if Burden was at the top of their board, it seems unlikely the Bears would draft him at No. 39 if they didn’t have an immediate plan for success in place.

Over his three years at Missouri, Burden caught 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns. His breakout season came as a junior, when Burden set new career-highs in receptions (86), yardage (1,212) and touchdowns (nine). Still, the receiver had at least 45 receptions, 375 yards and six touchdowns all three years on campus. He was named First-team All-SEC in both 2023 and 2024.

In terms of pure after-the-catch playmakers, there may be none better than Burden in the 2025 class. Furthermore, he received a comparison to New York Jets standout Garrett Wilson by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. Bottom line, the Bears are confident Burden will be a seamless fit into their new offense.

Now, the receiver is driven to prove why he should’ve went in the first round. If Burden lives up to the lofty expectations already place on their shoulders, the Bears could have landed the biggest steal of the 2025 NFL Draft.