2025 NFL Draft: Contract details revealed for Bears second-round pick Luther Burden III

The contract details for Chicago Bears second-round pick Luther Burden III were revealed after the Missouri wide receiver was selected. Per Spotrac, Burden is projected to sign a four-year, $10.95 million deal.

The St. Louis native caught 61 passes for 676 yards and six touchdowns in 2024, helping Missouri to a 9-3 record. He finishes his college career with 192 receptions for 2,263 yards and 21 scores.

He immediately was a big-time playmaker for the Tigers, catching six touchdowns and finishing with 45 catches for 375 yards as a freshman in 2022. That set the tone for a successful career as one of the top wide receivers in the SEC in the past couple of seasons.

His most productive season at the collegiate level came in 2023, hauling in 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. He was a big part of the reason Missouri had a special season in 2023 as the Tigers finished with an 11-2 record, including a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

A Missouri native, Luther Burden decided to stay home and play for Missouri after being ranked as the top receiver and the No. 3 overall player in the country in the class of 2022, per the On3 Industry rankings, which is a proprietary algorithm that compiles ratings and rankings from all four primary recruiting media services.

What NFL analysts are saying about Luther Burden III

Now that Luther Burden has been drafted, fans may be wondering what to expect from their new wide receiver. NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein provided his analysis of the dynamic playmaker from Missouri.

Zierlein: “Former five-star recruit who offers five-star athleticism and playmaking ability. Burden is a natural on the field with above-average speed and exciting ball skills to win at a high rate. He takes snaps off and short-circuits routes if he’s not the primary option, but he can separate and succeed on all three levels when it’s his time.

“Missouri exploited Burden’s yards-after-catch talent with a barrage of short throws, but NFL teams are much more likely to diversify his usage, activating his complete skill set and big-play potential. The production against top teams was uneven at times but so was Missouri’s quarterback play. Burden checks several priority boxes that typically foreshadow an impressive NFL career.”