KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III on Monday declared for the NFL draft, where he is expected to be a first-round pick.
Burden said he would skip the No. 22 Tigers’ bowl game and begin preparing for the April draft. The decision was widely expected after the junior from St. Louis walked with the seniors before their home finale against Arkansas on Saturday.
“It has always been my dream to play in the NFL,” Burden said in a statement. “I am blessed to have a family and community that have helped support this dream and fuel me to put in the work in pursuit of this goal.”
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is widely considered the top wide receiver prospect in the draft. But Burden could be right behind him among a group that includes Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, Tre Harris of Mississippi and Texas’ Isaiah Bond.
Burden had 61 catches for 676 yards and six TDs this season, despite facing constant double- and triple-team coverage.
Burden was recruited by some of the nation’s top programs but chose to stay close to home at Missouri, where he helped coach Eli Drinkwitz turn around a program that had languished in mediocrity. The Tigers finished 11-2 with a victory in the Cotton Bowl last season, and the win over the rival Razorbacks improved them to 9-3 ahead of their bowl game this season.
Despite playing just three seasons, and overcoming several minor injuries, Burden finished No. 6 on the school’s career list with 2,263 yards receiving — he had 1,212 last season, the third-best total in school history. He finished fourth in receptions with 192 and fifth with 21 touchdown catches, to go with four touchdowns rushing and another on special teams.
“He’s one of the best players if not the best player to ever come to the University of Missouri,” Drinkwitz said. “For him to make that decision changed the trajectory of my career and our program, and that’s what is going to be remembered.”
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