Could Top Draft WR Be Fit For Cardinals?

Could this top pass-catcher be a fit for Arizona?

Nov 9, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) runs with the ball during the first half against the Oklahoma Sooners at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Arizona Cardinals are in need of an added dimension to their offense, and this wide receiver prospect could potentially be a fit in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Luther Burden III out of the University of Missouri is viewed as one of the top skill players of the draft, and (depending on whose opinion it is) could even be considered WR1 in this draft.

Burden should be available to the Cardinals at 16, but even if they opt to go with a defensive player, some outlets have him falling, potentially into the second round. Burden could be a trade-down target in the first, or, depending on other teams' evaluations of the limited WR talent, could be there in round two.

Burden started for three years at Missouri, and racked up 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns as a sophomore. He averaged 14.1 yards per reception, and 11.1 the following year, though he only managed 676 yards in 2024.

Burden is a deep threat with a well-above-average contested catch rate. He graded out quite well against man coverage. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash, dispelling concerns over pure speed, but is slightly undersized for the archetype of WR the Cardinals would prefer.

Still, he has a future in the NFL, likely as a versatile WR that can play both outside and in the slot. The Cardinals need exactly that.

While Burden's hype has cooled down significantly after his down year in 2024, he's still one of the better prospects available, and is more likely to be there for the Cardinals than Tetairoa McMillan, who is a bit more of a size-over-speed prospect to begin with.

And the Cardinals need speed. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Michael Wilson can make contested catches, but their pure speed and separation isn't going to be their calling card. Burden would add a dimension to Arizona's offense that its been missing for some time, as the Cardinals haven't had a true speed threat in some time, with limited production out of Dortch, Hollywood Brown and Rondale Moore over recent years.

Burden might not seem like the type of player Ossenfort would target specifically, but if he pans out at the NFL level, he would certainly bring that last element to Arizona's group of pass catchers, and hopefully aid in the return of QB Kyler Murray's deep ball.