Missouri WR Luther Burden III Declares for 2025 NFL Draft, Will Skip Bowl Game

After three years at Missouri, wide receiver Luther Burden III is ready to take his talents to the next level.

Burden told reporters on Monday that he is declaring for the 2025 NFL draft. According to ESPN's Pete Thamel, the junior wideout said he will skip the Tigers' bowl game.

"I feel like this is the best time to enter the draft," Burden told Thamel. "I'm confident in myself and what I can do at the next level. I'm ready for the next step."

In the most recent draft big board, B/R's NFL Scouting Department ranked Burden as the No. 4 wide receiver in the 2025 class. He's projected as "one of the draft class' best playmakers and should be a productive high-volume slot receiver and chain-mover in the NFL."

Burden burst onto the scene during his stellar sophomore season in which he posted 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns. He helped lead Missouri to an impressive 11-2 finish that included a win over Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl.

However, the 20-year-old hasn't been as productive this season with 61 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns, though he's also added 115 rushing yards and two more scores. The Tigers went 9-3 during the regular season and capped off the year with back-to-back wins. Still, Burden felt that it was time to move on.

"The ultimate goal was to come here and make a difference," Burden told Thamel. "I feel like I met my goal with everything that I set out before I got here. It was a pleasure being here. I will love Mizzou forever."