Missouri WR Luther Burden declares for 2025 NFL Draft

Missouri star receiver Luther Burden is moving on to the next level. Burden has declared for the 2025 NFL Draft, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett. He is not expected to play in the Tigers bowl game.

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.

A Missouri native, Luther Burden made the decision 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.

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.

Luther Burden had the best year of his college football career 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.

He once again had a big year for Missouri in 2024, helping the Tigers to nine wins, despite there being plenty of injury issues for Missouri.

Burden is expected to be one of the first receivers off the board in the 2025 NFL Draft. ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. recently updated his big board. He has Luther Burden as the No. 19 overall player in the draft. The only receivers ahead of Burden are Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter and Arizona star Tetairoa McMillan.

Burden has lived up to the hype for Missouri and helped take the program to another level. Now he is looking to show what he can do at the NFL. It would not be a surprise at all if he is a first round pick and immediately helps an NFL team in 2025.