Even with a game today on primetime television, the Cleveland Browns likely have one eye on the 2025 NFL draft and potentially Missouri standout wide receiver Luther Burden III.
Despite a down season, sitting at just 61 catches, 800 total yards, and eight touchdowns, Burden III is one of the premier talents in all of college football and in all of the NFL draft. He entered the season with a ton of hype, racking up 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023 before fighting through subpar quarterback play all season.
And where Burden III is projected to be drafted, his scheme fit, and the positional need in Cleveland may just make him the perfect match that checks every box by the time April rolls around. Daft on Draft, an NFL draft site, thinks so at least.
Luther Burden III deemed “stellar fit” for Browns in 2025 NFL draft
Daft on Draft tabbed Burden III as one of eight “stellar fits” between NFL teams and 2025 NFL draft prospects as we trek toward the pre-draft process. Here is what Daft on Draft had to say on the fit between the Browns and the Missouri standout wide receiver:
“The Cleveland Browns have sought ways to create explosive plays, and they have mostly come with Deshaun Watson not on the field. Wide receivers Jerry Jeudy and Cedric Tillman have become legitimate threats down the field, but what they are missing is a player who can become an extension of their run game.
Elijah Moore is not that player, and he is a free agent at the end of the season. Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III is that player. Not only is he Deebo-like with the football in his hands and hard to bring to the ground, but his ability to win down the field and along the boundary elevates his game even more.”
Why Burden III to the Browns makes sense
It’s no secret the Browns have been trying to push the ball toward the boundary with Moore and other playmakers offensively to no avail. It’s also no secret that they have limited weapons, namely just tight end David Njoku, who can create after the catch.
Burden III solves both of those issues.
While Burden III plays predominantly in the slot, over 80 percent of his snaps there, this projection comes down to whether or not the Browns think he can play on the outside at Z as well. Given his film, that answer is a resounding yes.
The body control, level of physicality, and explosive juice that Burden III possesses when working down the field and along the boundary makes it known that he can also win outside if asked to do so at the NFL level. Fitting into a room with Cedric Tillman and Jerry Jeudy, Burden III fits like a puzzle piece.
With Tillman playing the prototypical X receiver, Burden III gives Jeudy and the Browns the freedom to line up in the slot or at Z with him doing the opposite to create mismatches and advantages for both players.
Sitting at 3-8 and with a need at wide receiver, could the Browns and Burden III be a match made in heaven when the NFL draft rolls around?
