Luther Burden III in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: All-Pro Reels from District of Columbia, USA, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Receiver, Missouri, 2022–⁠24

Luther Burden III

Number
No. 3
Height
5′11″
Weight
208 lb
Class (2024)
Junior
Hometown
Saint Louis, MO
Born
Dec 12, 2003, in St. Louis, Missouri

Wikipedia readers: about 13,465 a month over the past year

Luther Burden III played receiver at Missouri (2022–⁠24). The Chicago Bears took Burden in round 2, No. 39 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,205
Receiving yards, 2023 (Missouri, 11–⁠2)
National rank
No. 10
In FBS in receiving yards, 2023
Drafted
No. 39
Round 2, 2025 NFL Draft (Chicago Bears)

Career highs

11catches, career hightwice; last vs. LSU, 2023177receiving yards, career highvs. Memphis, 20232receiving touchdowns, career highfour times; last vs. Vanderbilt, 2024

Honors

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2022Missouri433778.8535
2023Missouri851,20514.2956
2024Missouri6066611.1644
Career1882,24812.02056

Returns

SeasonTeamPRYdsTD
2022Missouri121511
2023Missouri7600
2024Missouri4311
Career232422

Rushing

SeasonTeamCarYdsAvgTDLong
2022Missouri19924.8317
2023Missouri8384.8020
2024Missouri1012512.5261
Career372556.9561

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2022Missouri3WRFr.
2023Missouri3WRSo.
2024Missouri3WRJr.5′11″208

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2022Missouri750.4216th (n=683)0.7131.89%
2023Missouri960.9976th (n=681)0.8095.311%
2024Missouri730.8843rd (n=581)0.9263.99%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2024 Missouri 12 games, 60 catches, 666 yards, 6 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Aug 29vs.Murray StateW 51–⁠033911910
Sep 7vs.BuffaloW 38–⁠031501021
Sep 14vs.Boston CollegeW 27–⁠216117144–
Sep 21vs.VanderbiltW 30–⁠27676225–
Oct 5atTexas A&ML 10–⁠417820271
Oct 12atMassachusettsW 45–⁠355901668
Oct 19vs.AuburnW 21–⁠17649016–
Oct 26atAlabamaL 0–⁠34330315
Nov 9vs.OklahomaW 30–⁠2355503310
Nov 16atSouth CarolinaL 30–⁠34869137–
Nov 23atMississippi StateW 39–⁠20791128–
Nov 30vs.ArkansasW 28–⁠21111011–
2023 Missouri 13 games, 85 catches, 1,205 yards, 9 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Aug 31vs.South DakotaW 35–⁠107961302
Sep 9vs.Middle TennesseeW 23–⁠198117044–
Sep 16vs.Kansas StateW 30–⁠277114247–
Sep 23vs.MemphisW 34–⁠2710177056–
Sep 30atVanderbiltW 38–⁠2111140227–
Oct 7vs.LSUL 39–⁠49111490420
Oct 14atKentuckyW 38–⁠21215096
Oct 21vs.South CarolinaW 34–⁠1249014210
Nov 4atGeorgiaL 21–⁠30353139–
Nov 11vs.TennesseeW 36–⁠74261210
Nov 18vs.FloridaW 33–⁠319158048–
Nov 24atArkansasW 48–⁠14655028–
Dec 29 ✦vs.Ohio StateW 14–⁠33151720
2022 Missouri 13 games, 43 catches, 377 yards, 5 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 1vs.Louisiana TechW 52–⁠2431711626
Sep 10atKansas StateL 12–⁠4013036
Sep 17vs.Abilene ChristianW 34–⁠176580188
Sep 24atAuburnL 14–⁠17–––––
Oct 1vs.GeorgiaL 22–⁠2631608–
Oct 8atFloridaL 17–⁠24520013–
Oct 22vs.VanderbiltW 17–⁠1446613510
Oct 29atSouth CarolinaW 23–⁠102501210
Nov 5vs.KentuckyL 17–⁠216600359
Nov 12atTennesseeL 24–⁠6621501214
Nov 19vs.New Mexico StateW 45–⁠1433521412
Nov 25vs.ArkansasW 29–⁠27230123–
Dec 23 ✦vs.Wake ForestL 17–⁠27652019−3

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2025
Height6′0″
Weight206 lb
Arm length31¼″
Hand size8½″
Wingspan76½″
40-yard dash4.41 s
10-yard split1.54 sW

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

2 seasons, 20 games with a stat; latest team: Chicago Bears.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2025Chicago Bears15476522
2026 (so far)Chicago Bears5232661
NFL career20709183

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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