Mizzou Second Round Pick Labeled as One of Draft's Biggest Steals

It was a bit of a surprise for Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III to slip into the second round of the 2025 NFL draft. Reports beforehand said that it was possible that it happened, but falling to the 39th overall pick to the Chicago Bears was definitely not the spot where people thought he would land.

After previously being viewed as a potential top 10 pick at the beginning of the season, Burden's lack of production this year was a reason for the plummet. His skillset didn't change, though, and Burden should still be a dynamic player for the Bears.

Because of all of that, Marcus Mosher of the33rdteam listed Burden as one of the draft's nine biggest steals. Chicago added two dynamic pass-catchers in this year's draft with Burden and former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, making life for second-year quarterback Caleb Williams quite easy.

"The Bears have done a fantastic job of loading up on offensive talent to surround Caleb Williams, and Burden should be an impact player right away in the NFC North," Mosher said.

Burden is joining a now stacked wide receiver room, alongside DJ Moore, last year's first-round pick Rome Odunze and tight end Cole Kmet. When you add Burden and Loveland to that group, there is a near-perfect diversification of abilities among the five.

The former Tiger excels after the catch and when he gets the ball in space, Burden tends to be a challenge to bring down. That, combined with Moore's route-running ability and Odunze's size, is quite a nice blend of receivers to surround a young quarterback with.

It was made clear that Burden certainly had a chance of sliding out of the first round on Day 1 of the draft and if that were to happen, whichever team landed him, presumably in the early second, would be getting great value at the receiver spot. That appears to be the exact case for the Chicago Bears, who didn't have to make a move to add more star power to their receiving core.

What makes the move great for Burden is the offensive mind coaching him, as well as the talent surrounding him. New head coach Ben Johnson is one of the brighter, young offensive minds in the sport and will have plenty of fun scheming the ball to Burden.

Also, since he's surrounded by so many good players, the spotlight won't be on Burden right away to be the star that many think he could be. There will be an expectation for him to produce when he does play, but he doesn't have to step into a big role from the beginning.

Matt Mosher's nine biggest NFL draft steals:

1. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado - Cleveland Browns (Pick 144)
2. Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri - Chicago Bears (Pick 39)
3. Jihaad Campbell, LB, Alabama - Philadelphia Eagles (Pick 31)
4. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE, Boston College - Dallas Cowboys (Pick 44)
5. Kyle Williams, WR, Washington State - New England Patriots (Pick 69)
6. Malaki Starks, S, Georgia - Baltimore Ravens (Pick 27)
7. Xavier Watts, S, Notre Dame - Atlanta Falcons (Pick 96)
8. Trey Amos, CB, Ole Miss - Washington Commanders (Pick 61)
9. D.J. Giddens, RB, Kansas State - Indianapolis Colts (Pick 151)