Fantasy Football Rookie Profile: Missouri Wide Receiver Luther Burden III

Michael Fabiano | Apr 9, 2025

Luther Burden III saw his stats decline last season, but he's still in the mix as a potential top-30 overall pick in the NFL draft. / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL Draft is coming! To educate you, the fantasy football fan, about the top players in the incoming class, I’ll be spotlighting a different player each day. I’ve already covered the top quarterback and running back prospects, and now it’s time to move on to the wide receivers. I started with Heisman winner Travis Hunter and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, and next up is Missouri’s slot man Luther Burden III.

Luther Burden III Height, Weight

Height: 6-foot
Weight: 206 pounds

Luther Burden III College Stats

2022 Missouri: 45 rec, 375 rec yards, 6 TDs, 18 car, 88 rush yards, 2 TDs
2023 Missouri: 86 rec, 1,212 rec yards, 9 TDs, 7 car, 31 rush yards
2024 Missouri: 61 rec, 676 rec yards, 6 TDs, 9 car, 115 rush yards, 2 TDs

Luther Burden III Fantasy Profile

2024 Routes Run: Wide 11.8% Slot 85.3%

Burden III is an exceptional athlete who can make plays with his explosive skill set. His best collegiate season came in 2023, when he posted what would be career-bests in receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns. He also tied for third in terms of PFF grades for receivers (minimum 80 targets), not to mention ranking second in yards after the catch and fourth in yards per route run. Burden III also finished with 42 catches that resulted in a first down.

The speedster’s stats took a bit of a dive this last season, however, falling to 22nd in PFF grades. His yards-per-catch total also dropped from 718 in 2023 to just 373 last season, and he was down 1.2 yards per route run. This decline has caused him to drop from a potential top-10 overall pick (where he was projected by many scouts after 2023) to a late first-rounder.

Still, he’s proven to be a playmaker in space and can make big plays after the catch, despite his decline in that category in 2024. What's more, the offense in Missouri became a bit more vanilla last season. Burden III figures to be an NFL starter for a team in need of a dynamic slot receiver.

Luther Burden III Best Draft Landing Spots For Fantasy

1. Denver Broncos (No. 20 overall)
2. Tennessee Titans (No. 35)
3. Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 36)
4. Las Vegas Raiders (No. 37)
5. New York Jets (No. 42)

Burden III could draw interest in the second half of the first round of the NFL Draft, and the Broncos could be a nice fit. He’d be in contention to be the No. 2 option in the passing game for Bo Nix, behind Courtland Sutton. The Rams could have interest at No. 26, but that is not an ideal fantasy landing spot after the team signed Davante Adams. Unless a team trades up to grab him, I don’t see another team that would grab him from No. 27 to No. 32.

In that sort of scenario, the Titans could be a nice landing spot for Burden III. He could see plenty of targets behind Calvin Ridley on a wideout-needy team. He could be catching passes from the projected No. 1 overall pick, Cam Ward, in that scenario. The Jaguars are also in the market for a slot man after trading Christian Kirk, and Burden III would be a suitable replacement.

Burden III could also land in Las Vegas as their new slot man in an offense that would have some fantasy appeal with new quarterback Geno Smith under center. I could also see the Jets going after Burden III as a complement to their No. 1 wide receiver, Garrett Wilson.