Where Analysts Project Mizzou's Luther Burden III to be Selected in NFL Draft

Landing spots for the star wide receiver for the Missouri Tigers in recent NFL mock drafts.

Nov 23, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) reacts after a touchdown against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the second quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The NFL regular season officially came to an end Sunday, leaving the 18 teams out of the playoffs, and now knowing where they will pick in the upcoming draft.

A year after having six players selected in the NFL draft, the Missouri Tigers are expected to produce a premier prospect in this year's class.

Ever since wide receiver Luther Burden III committed to Missouri in high school, he was expected to lead the program to new heights before becoming a star in the NFL. The junior lived up in both aspects, and officially declared for the NFL draft two days after Missouri's regular-season finale.

Entering the 2024 season, Burden seemed to be a surefure top-10 selection. The stat sheet shows a drop off in production for Burden from 2023 to 2024 though, going from 86 to 61 receptions, 1,212 yards to 676 and nine touchdowns down to six.

But, there were circumstances outside of Burden's control that NFL scouts should be able to see before dropping the slot receiver's draft stock.

In the latest top-100 prospect rankings from Sports Illustrated's Daniel Flick, Burden was rated as the No. 16 overall prospect, and the third-best wide receiver behind Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, and Colorado's Travis Hunter.

Draft analysts have a wide range for Burden, all in the first round. Here's where the playmaker has been projected to be selected in recent mock drafts.

CBS Sports (Ryan Wilson): Pick No. 18 to the Seattle Seahawks

Bleacher Report: Pick No. 26 to the Washington Commanders

USA Today (Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz): Pick No. 12 to the Dallas Cowboys

The 33rd Team (Kyle Crabbs): Pick No. 22 to the Pittsburgh Steelers

SBNation (Joseph Acosta): Pick No. 7 to the New York Jets

Pro Football Focus: Pick No. 17 to the Cincinatti Bengals

Burden was a constant draw for NFL scouts to the Faurot Field press box for the 2024 season, and if those scouts and general managers spoke to Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz about the wide receiver, they would've heard a high recommendation.

"I tell this to [NFL] scouts and g[eneral m[anagers] like, that league's got a lot of players who always demanding, demanding, demanding, and you're gonna be able to put Luther with a vet or a rookie, and he's never going to inhibit their growth, because he's not going to be a jerk to him," Drinkwitz said of Burden after a win this season at Mississippi State.

"He's just going to consistently say, 'I'll do my job, and if the play dictates I get the ball, then I'm going to do a great job with ball my hands. And if it doesn't, then next play.'"

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