Bears' Luther Burden III Says Teams 'Got to Pay' After Passing on Him in NFL Draft

Chicago Bears wide receiver Luther Burden III plans to make opposing NFL teams regret not selecting him in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

"That's staying with me forever," Burden said Friday about falling to the Bears on Day 2 of the draft. "Everyone who passed up on me has got to pay."

There were three wide receivers taken off the board in Day 1 of the NFL draft with the Carolina Panthers drafting Tetairoa McMillan, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers selecting Emeka Egbuka and the Green Bay Packers adding Matthew Golden.

The Houston Texans then selected Jayden Higgins with the second pick of the second round.

The Bears, who had already used their own first-round pick on Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, called Burden's name five picks later.

In order for Burden to prove he should have been a first-round selection, he will first have to compete with veteran wideout DJ Moore and 2024 first-rounder Rome Odunze for targets.

B/R NFL scout Dame Parson described Burden before the draft as a "explosive and dynamic run-after-catch threat" who would "benefit from being linked to a creative offensive coordinator who will utilize his full skill set to help the offense."

That could make him a good fit with first-year offensive coordinator Declan Doyle, who said after the draft he believed the Bears could "use him in a lot of different ways."

"The goal is to bring him here, figure out what he does well and see if we can find ways to get him touches where he can impact the game," Doyle said.

That process began for Burden on Friday as he reported to Chicago for the Bears' rookie minicamp. Finding the best fits for Loveland and Burden, as well as a potential starting offensive linemen in rookie Ozzy Trapilo, could be key to helping quarterback Caleb Williams take a step forward during his second NFL season.