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Was Luther Burden III the best pick of the Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL Draft?

The Chicago Bears' selection of Luther Burden in the second round of the 2025 NFL draft has received near-universal praise.
Bryan Perez|
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By most accounts, the Chicago Bears had an incredibly successful 2025 NFL Draft. It began in the first round with the selection of Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, and continued over seven rounds and eight selections.

But the pick that's received the most attention since draft weekend is Chicago's first second-rounder, Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.

In fact, ESPN's Matt Miller recently named Burden his favorite pick of the entire 2025 NFL Draft;

Pro Football Focus agrees with Miller... sort of. While PFF's Trevor Sikkema didn't name Burden his favorite pick of the entire 2025 draft, he did choose the electrifying playmaker as his favorite pick made by the Bears.

"Burden was my WR2 and 15th-ranked player in the class, so to get him in the second round at pick No. 39 was great value," Sikkema wrote. "New Bears head coach Ben Johnson can get the most out of Burden after heavily emphasizing the slot receiver in his Lions passing attack."

Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) walks along the field during warmups
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Luther Burden will challenge for an immediate impact role with the Chicago Bears in 2025

A universe exists in which Burden is actually the most physically gifted wide receiver on the Bears' roster right now. In many ways, he's a younger version of DJ Moore. He offers the same kind of "running back" traits with the ball in his hands, and while his route-running isn't his calling card, his athletic ability will give him a chance to win every one-on-one he faces.

And he'll face a lot of them with Moore, Rome Odunze, Loveland, and Cole Kmet also being featured in the passing game.

Burden might not put up gaudy fantasy football numbers, but it would be shocking if he didn't make his presence felt on offense early in his career with field-flipping plays and big scores.

Burden had a down year in 2024 when he finished with just 676 yards and six touchdowns. Entering last season, Burden was considered a candidate to be a top-10 pick in Round 1. His 2023 campaign was remarkable; he caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine scores.

Now, Luther Burden joins an arsenal of weapons that will be deployed by coach Ben Johnson in what should be the most exciting Bears' offense in years.

Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) walks along the field
Will McLelland-Imagn Images

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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