When Luther Burden III announced he was staying close to home and playing collegiately at Mizzou, I thought the Tigers had a future Heisman Trophy finalist.
Burden announced on Monday that he is departing Missouri for the 2025 NFL Draft and skipping whichever bowl game the Tigers are destined to play in.
“I feel like this is the best time to enter the draft,” Burden told ESPN. “I’m confident in myself and what I can do at the next level. I’m ready for the next step.”
Burden proved deserving of being a first-round selection in the NFL Draft during his three seasons with Missouri. However, I thought he would leave Missouri as its unquestionable all-time receiver. It did not happen, through no fault of Burden’s.
During his three seasons, Burden caught 192 passes for 2,263 yards and 21 touchdowns. What seems a bit off is that Burden’s receptions by-the-year were 45, 86, and 61. His yardage totals were 375, 1,212, and 676. He regressed his final season.
He finishes sixth all-time in Missouri receiving yards, just behind Jeremy Maclin – who played just two seasons with the Tigers.
I think Missouri coaches also missed opportunities to use Burden in multiple ways. He ran the ball just 34 times for 234 yards and four touchdowns. He should have done that during a single season, let alone three.
I also wonder why Buren was not used more as a punt and kickoff returner.
After returning 12 punts for 151 yards and a touchdown as a freshman, he returned just 11 punts for 61 yards in his final two years. He attempted no kickoff returns.
Several mock draft pundits have Burden ranked as the top receiver entering the draft. Joining him in the top three are Colorado’s Travis Hunter, who has starred at receiver and defensive back and is a lock to win the Heisman Trophy, and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan.
Burden’s exit included praise for receivers coach Jacob Peeler “for pushing me each and every day.”
I’ll leave it to the reader to determine what to think of this statement from Burden, and the role that head coach Eliah Drinkwitz played.
“Every day wasn’t sunshine and rainbows; there were tough times. I’m grateful for [Peeler] sticking by my side and pushing me.”
The Reid Roundup
Thank you to former St. Louis American and Post-Dispatch sports reporter Kevin Boone for alerting me to the passing of former St. Louis Cardinals All-Pro lineman Ernie McMillan. “While better known for his career at the University of Illinois and National Football League, perhaps Ernie’s most profound impact was as a founder and publisher of Proud magazine,” wrote Boone. McMillan also served as a volunteer coach at several camps, including Sumner High School. He helped that program ascend to state football championships during the 1980s and ’90s…A pair of Black quarterbacks passed for over 400 yards during the NFL weekend. Jameis Winston set the Cleveland Browns franchise single-game record with 497 passing yards, completing 34 of 58 passing attempts for four touchdowns and three interceptions in his team’s loss to Denver…Russell Wilson continued his resurgence with the Pittsburgh Steelers by passing for 414 yards and two touchdowns in a road victory over Cincinnati…St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado could be traded, however his current team might have to pay some of the $74 million over three years that the Gold Glove winner is owed…0-8 Jackson State University put a scare into SLU on Monday night. JSU led 64-63 with just over four minutes remaining before the Billikens pulled away and won 74-66. Jayme Mitchell led the Tigers with 14 points…Thomas Brown was serving as Chicago Bears interim coordinator during the last three weeks when struggling quarterback Caleb Williams displayed noticeable improvement. When head coach Matt Eberflus was fired last Friday, Brown became interim head coach, and he has a decent shot at landing the full-time gig…Two Black coaches are reportedly topping the Bears interview list: Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn.