Luther Burden drafted by the Bears with No. 39 overall pick

GREEN BAY, Wis. (KMIZ)

Mizzou star Luther Burden is headed to the league.

The wide receiver was picked up by the Chicago Bears with the No. 39 overall pick in the second round, after falling out of round one, on Thursday night. He is the second Tiger to be drafted, so far, joining offensive lineman Armand Membou, who went No. 7 overall.

Burden's draft stock had taken a pretty big hit, from this time last year. At one point in his collegiate career, he was considered a first-round lock, but slipped into day two after a dip in production in 2024.

The East St. Louis native achieved of his dream of making it to the league, though, after he spent three years changing the entire trajectory of the Mizzou football program. The former five-star wideout had his choice of school coming out of high school, but went with the 'unpopular,' decision in Oct. of 2021 and committed to head coach Eli Drinkwitz and company.

In his final season in Columbia, Burden was second on the team with 676 yards and a team-high six touchdowns. Coach Drink also credited Burden with making an impact that doesn't necessarily show up on the stat sheet, during his junior campaign.

His biggest season came as a sophomore, in 2023, though. In that Cotton Bowl season, the St. Louis native led Mizzou in receptions (86), receiving yards (1,212) and touchdown receptions (nine). That led him to a First-Team All-SEC selection and a Second-Team All-America nod. Burden was second in the SEC and ninth in the nation in receiving yards that season, while becoming just the eighth Tiger to reach the 1,000-yard mark for receiving in a single season.

Burden will now make a new home in Chicago.