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Ben Johnson can hardly contain his excitement over Bears rookie Luther Burden III

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated Aug 2, 2025 10:43 AM ET

Luther Burden is already experiencing the wild ride of life as an NFL wide receiver.

Burden was viewed as one of the 2025 NFL Draft's biggest steals when he fell to the Chicago Bears at No. 39 overall. Once considered a top-10 prospect, his fall into Round 2 began his NFL journey with a massive chip on his shoulder. And Bears Nation was excited, to say the least.

But after missing most of the Chicago Bears' offseason workout program with what the team described as a soft-tissue injury, whispers of Burden becoming a "burden" on the Bears began. Remember, he fell in the 2025 NFL Draft, in part, because of concerns about his commitment to the game. And with such a delayed recovery timeline, those commitment concerns began bubbling to the surface again.

Yet, that NFL wild ride is quite the rollercoaster, and Luther Burden is back on a high after downright dominating defensive backs during his first handful of practices at Bears training camp.

And Ben Johnson can hardly control his excitement, especially when it comes to Burden's big-play traits.

"I was really impressed with that," Johnson said. "He's still working on the alignment and the details as you would expect for a young player, but the play-speed jumped off the tape to us all [Wednesday]."

Apparently, Burden felt pretty good about his performance, too.

"I feel like I can do everything in this offense," Burden said. "I'm just really trying to get my feet wet, get situated on the field and learn my playbook. I feel like everything else will take care of itself."

Luther Burden finished his final season at Missouri with 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns. He exploded on the scene in 2023 when he totaled 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine scores.

Burden is expected to begin the 2025 season as the No. 3 wideout alongside DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. It's a pass-catching trio with scary upside.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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