Luther Burden Made His Case to Bears’ Ryan Poles in September Visit

Hash brown casserole, eggs Saratoga, Sausage and french toast were on the breakfast menu in the Faurot Field press box when Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles visited to watch the Missouri Tigers take on the Boston College Eagles on September 14 of 2024. It was easy to stack your plate with a complete meal.

On the field, Luther Burden III gave Poles a full taste of what he could offer while serving a three-course meal to the Boston College defense. His performance was full of both his best and worst sides in what would end up being his top performance of the season.

Poles would've been disappointed if he went for some coffee, which was particularly bland that day. But Burden's play was flavorful and masterful.

Early on, the No. 6-ranked Tiger offense was in need of a boost. On a drive early in second quarter after Missouri fell down 14-3, Burden provided that jolt.

On the third play of the drive — a first-and-10 from Missouri's 27-yard line — quarterback Brady Cook evaded pressure and jogged to his left to zip a pass off his back foot just over the outstretched hands of a Boston College defender.

Burden almost seemed surprised the ball made it past the defender's hands, but hauled the pass in and immediately calculated his plan of attack, seeing space on the right sideline.

Burden added 23 yards after the catch, making his reception worth 44 yards. His feel for when to hit the gas pedal and when to coast in space was on full display in his moves after the reception. This rare overlap of patience and agility is what makes his ability as a runner after the catch so unique.

It's one of the top reasons Poles and the Bears selected Burden with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

"He's an electric player, playmaker, highly competitive, and the run-after-the-catch is special, probably the best in this class," Poles said in a press conference following the selection of Burden.

Prior to this reception, only one of Missouri's 10 pass attempts went for 10 or more yards. On the previous drive, both of Cook's pass attempts fell incomplete, leading to a Missouri punt.

Burden had now injected confidence and rhythm into the Missouri offense. That drive stalled, but his creative moves after the catch were crucial to put Missouri into field-goal range, where Blake Craig made an attempt from 38 yards out to put the Tigers back within one score.

The next drive, Burden again used his unexpected patience to his benefit.

On a third-and-4, Cook found Burden on an out route, just ahead of the first-down marker. A defender stood in perfect position to bring Burden down, but instead the receiver stopped in his tracks, leading the defender to overpursue the tackle. This opened up a lane for Burden to the end zone. With three defenders still in his way, Burden seemed to run with a forcefield around him.

Luther being Luther... pic.twitter.com/mitjEhgNZv
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) September 14, 2024

"It's rare to see someone with his movement skills," Bears head coach Ben Johnson said in a press conference following the draft. "He can stop on a dime, and accelerate just like that. Give him a little bit of space and he can make big things happen."

Patience is something Burden had to harness into his game throughout his three years at Missouri, both when evading defenders and when waiting for his opportunities.

After a game against Auburn in 2022 where Burden didn't receive a single touch, he responded by wiping any mention of the team from his Instagram account.

After the cryptic move, he posted the message "Patiently waiting..." to his Instagram story. But it was clear frustrations were mounting.

Drinkwitz would later cite this moment as a learning moment where Burden had to become more emotionally mature. In Burden's sophomore and junior seasons, Drinkwitz would often praise the improvements the receiver made to become a better teammate.

"He's grown so much as a human being," Drinkwitz said of Burden at a press conference April 29, "as a person, as a competitor, understanding that talent alone is not enough, work ethic, discipline, daily habits, being consistent who he is."

But similar frustrations still built up for Burden on draft night. After being passed up on in Round 1, Burden again took to his Instagram story, sharing a photo of him working out at Missouri's practice facility with a 12:52 a.m. timestamp.

Less than 24 hours later, Poles would call Burden to ask a question with an obvious answer: "You sick of waiting?"

Sep 14, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) runs in for a touchdown against the Boston College Eagles during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images | Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Burden told reporters after Chicago selected him in the second round that he was not expecting the Bears to be the team that selected him. According to him, his contact with the team was minimal in the months leading up to the draft.

It's possible the Bears were just as surprised as Burden that he was still available early in the second round. Poles also could've gone into the September 14 game at Faurot Field with his focus set on Boston College offensive lineman Ozzy Trapilo, who the Bears selected later in Round 2.

But it was impossible to take your eyes off Burden that day.

He finished the game with six receptions for 117 yards. He made the most important play of the game for the Missouri offense with three minutes remaining in the game when he brought in a pass on third-and-7, allowing the Tigers to kneel out the game and escape with a six-point lead.

"We needed the play," Burden said after the game. "We needed a first down. I think I've earned that respect and trust. My team can count on me on third down."

But, Burden also drew attention to himself in that game when he cost his team 30 yards on the same drive, being called for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty followed by a personal foul. Both were avoidable mistakes that set his team up in a near-impossible second-and-59 situation.

"I just gotta cut the nonsense out," Burden said afterward. "Stay composed. I don't want to put my team in that position anymore so I'm glad to learn from it."

Chicago, as any franchise would, didn't look past these moments for Burden. The team did their "due diligence" and background checks into his character, according to Drinkwitz.

Burden is still a young player, just turning 21 in December of 2024.

In the months leading up to the draft, speculation about character issues ran wild, which is a possible reason why he fell out of Round 1.

Now, many analysts question whether or not he has the ability to evolve into a player that can do more than just play as an after-the-catch specialist in the slot.

He's taking this doubt with him to the NFL. It will ultimately be up to him to learn from his mistakes, and work to develop as a player.

"I got to learn the playbook," Burden told reporters after being drafted. "And just be me, do what I've been doing my whole life; proving everybody wrong."

This competitiveness of Burden was on display in his performance in that Boston College game for Poles to watch from four stories above. So were his rare playmaking abilities. The areas where he needed to grow also intruded.

The entire draft process for NFL teams is throwing darts at a board. The selection of Burden is no different. But for Poles, the Luther Burden experience was summarized into just one game that Saturday morning.

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