Luther Burden Breakdown

[modo]

Fran Duffy had Luther Burden 8th overall and Colston Loveland 44th overall, so it ends up evening out (at least according to one draft prognosticator).

I’m excited about Burden’s talent and abilities. The girlfriend/mom/management thing is weird, and him flying off the handle, ripping people’s helmets off and throwing their mouthguards and generally losing his cool really easily is concerning.

But that’s why he fell, not because of the talent or ability. If BJ thinks he can make the most of Burden and harness his rougher edges, he’s probably going to be a legit dude.

I think the drop in the production contributed. The team was trying to get more people involved in the offense instead of it being the Luther Burden show in 24.

 

[modo]

Don't think they met with him, so not sure how they can know if they think they can harness his rough edges.

I may be wrong though.

Probably spoke to coaches.....none of that gets reported regularly.

 

[--CyBear--]

Luther Burden III went through a Rolodex of pro comparisons in my mind while watching his tape from Missouri. There was some Emmanuel Sanders, some Deebo Samuel, some AJ Brown. He has such a wide range of skills that it was hard to pin him down.

But just watching him run, he looks like the wide receiver equivalent to Adrian Peterson.

Obviously that's not the proper player comparison for Burden since he's a wide receiver. But when you watch him run with the ball after the catch, Peterson is who he looks like. He has the same aggressive, violent running style. He makes great use of jump cuts. Defenders melt off of him as he powers his legs through contact. And his vision allows him to always attack the space.

On this first play against Mississippi State, Burden turns sharply on a short curl route so that he settles in the soft spot of the coverage. The defence blitzed from his side. Burden recognized it and cut his route off so he could catch the quick throw.

That initial space is maximized by Burden's short-area acceleration. He goes past the linebacker and has already gained great yardage by this point.

He somehow uses a jump cut to go back across the face of the covering linebacker. He gains a lot of depth, but the quality of the cut allowed him to beat the defender cleanly so he could accelerate again.

The high knees and power into contact allows him to break multiple tackles.

Now, Adrian Peterson made plays like that one against NFL linebackers and defensive backs. Burden is only doing it against college players. Still, there's no reason to think he can't thrive after the catch against NFL defensive backs.

View attachment 45434

Burden has a relatively large frame for a wide receiver.

He's 6'0" and 206 lbs. The weight he carries doesn't work against him, which means he can make quick, sharp cuts in tight spaces to turn away from defenders.

This out route against Texas A&M should have been stopped short of the first down line. But his ability to stop his momentum in an instant allows him to beat the cornerback.

What's vital here is Burden's technique. He's setting up to turn as he's catching the ball. He catches it with both feet of the ground and sinks his hips into his first step after securing the ball.

By sinking down and shortening his stride, he can push off at an angle infield before making a second cut at the first down line. This is the type of move Michael Crabtree made for Texas Tech over and over again before going onto a very strong career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Crabtree never had high-end NFL speed. Burden might not either. He only ran a 4.4 at the combine. But he plays very fast so that might not be a fair representation of how fast he'll be at the next level.

View attachment 45435

Adding Burden to your offence means giving your quarterback a target who can take short, simple throws and turn them into big gains. Missouri gave him a lot of end-arounds and drew up plays to get the ball in his hands.

He was effective on those play designs but it's not really the best way of incorporating him into an offence. Burden is effective in structured plays with specific blocking around him. But he thrives in broken play after running a route downfield.

This touchdown is the same route as the previous play. The space Burden got after turning around allowed him to set the defence up for a cutback through bodies and into the endzone.



One of the comforting aspects of Burden's play at the college level is how he moved around the offence. He looks like he will be able to play inside or outside at the next level.

This is another quick turnaround over the middle. He shows great awareness to turn away from the arriving safety and then great strength to fight through the defenders for the first down.

We didn't see to many examples of Burden making possession catches running into traffic over the middle of the field. But that looked to be more about the offence and the quarterback than about him.

He relished contact and played strong whenever he needed to.

View attachment 45440

It won't come as a surprise considering the traits that have already been put on show, but Burden is an impressive route runner. He possesses precise feet, quickness, body control and an understanding of space.

This slot route is beautiful. He attacks the outside and wastes no motion in turning back infield. There's a great comfort in how he plants off of either foot and how he repeatedly sinks into his breaks to generate power going back in the opposite direction.

Burden is going to be a nightmare to contain with a two-way go in the NFL. That should set him up to make a lot of important plays on third downs.

View attachment 45437

The quick feet and long speed are effective on vertical routes too.

This is a great example of him beating press coverage against Mississippi State. It's one hesitation move and then acceleration into his route. That's exactly what you're looking for from your receiver. Don't waste time. Don't ruin the timing with the quarterback.

It's not flashy, but it's effective and gets the cornerback chasing him early in the route. Burden uses that positioning advantage and then separates at the top of the route with his inside hand.

Subtly pushing off from the defender gives him an uncontested catch. His ball skills here maximize the impact of his larger frame.

View attachment 45438

You have a receiver who understands blindpots, leverage and how to drive on cornerbacks to set them up. When you complement those qualities with upper body usage, size, athleticism and good ball skills, you have a receiver who ticks every box.

Burden was worthy of being a top 10 pick in the draft. This is likely why Poles selected him in the 2nd round despite having bigger needs at other positions.

How dominant he can actually be is unclear. He might be lacking the inch or two he'll need to fully dominate NFL defensive backs at the catch point. If we circle back to pro comparisons, Anquan Boldin might be the best in terms of playing style and how rounded he is.

But Boldin was also significantly heavier and slightly taller. Burden might be able to add more size and strength. He’s going to end up a secondary option on a stacked offensive roster. It's not a bad place to be for your long-term career really, it may end up being better for him than going in the top of the draft.

I love the way he pops back to his feet after the vertical. In the NFL, he's still running.

 

[Applefan]

Luther Burden III went through a Rolodex of pro comparisons in my mind while watching his tape from Missouri. There was some Emmanuel Sanders, some Deebo Samuel, some AJ Brown. He has such a wide range of skills that it was hard to pin him down.

But just watching him run, he looks like the wide receiver equivalent to Adrian Peterson.

Obviously that's not the proper player comparison for Burden since he's a wide receiver. But when you watch him run with the ball after the catch, Peterson is who he looks like. He has the same aggressive, violent running style. He makes great use of jump cuts. Defenders melt off of him as he powers his legs through contact. And his vision allows him to always attack the space.

On this first play against Mississippi State, Burden turns sharply on a short curl route so that he settles in the soft spot of the coverage. The defence blitzed from his side. Burden recognized it and cut his route off so he could catch the quick throw.

That initial space is maximized by Burden's short-area acceleration. He goes past the linebacker and has already gained great yardage by this point.

He somehow uses a jump cut to go back across the face of the covering linebacker. He gains a lot of depth, but the quality of the cut allowed him to beat the defender cleanly so he could accelerate again.

The high knees and power into contact allows him to break multiple tackles.

Now, Adrian Peterson made plays like that one against NFL linebackers and defensive backs. Burden is only doing it against college players. Still, there's no reason to think he can't thrive after the catch against NFL defensive backs.

View attachment 45434

Burden has a relatively large frame for a wide receiver.

He's 6'0" and 206 lbs. The weight he carries doesn't work against him, which means he can make quick, sharp cuts in tight spaces to turn away from defenders.

This out route against Texas A&M should have been stopped short of the first down line. But his ability to stop his momentum in an instant allows him to beat the cornerback.

What's vital here is Burden's technique. He's setting up to turn as he's catching the ball. He catches it with both feet of the ground and sinks his hips into his first step after securing the ball.

By sinking down and shortening his stride, he can push off at an angle infield before making a second cut at the first down line. This is the type of move Michael Crabtree made for Texas Tech over and over again before going onto a very strong career with the San Francisco 49ers.

Crabtree never had high-end NFL speed. Burden might not either. He only ran a 4.4 at the combine. But he plays very fast so that might not be a fair representation of how fast he'll be at the next level.

View attachment 45435

Adding Burden to your offence means giving your quarterback a target who can take short, simple throws and turn them into big gains. Missouri gave him a lot of end-arounds and drew up plays to get the ball in his hands.

He was effective on those play designs but it's not really the best way of incorporating him into an offence. Burden is effective in structured plays with specific blocking around him. But he thrives in broken play after running a route downfield.

This touchdown is the same route as the previous play. The space Burden got after turning around allowed him to set the defence up for a cutback through bodies and into the endzone.



One of the comforting aspects of Burden's play at the college level is how he moved around the offence. He looks like he will be able to play inside or outside at the next level.

This is another quick turnaround over the middle. He shows great awareness to turn away from the arriving safety and then great strength to fight through the defenders for the first down.

We didn't see to many examples of Burden making possession catches running into traffic over the middle of the field. But that looked to be more about the offence and the quarterback than about him.

He relished contact and played strong whenever he needed to.

View attachment 45440

It won't come as a surprise considering the traits that have already been put on show, but Burden is an impressive route runner. He possesses precise feet, quickness, body control and an understanding of space.

This slot route is beautiful. He attacks the outside and wastes no motion in turning back infield. There's a great comfort in how he plants off of either foot and how he repeatedly sinks into his breaks to generate power going back in the opposite direction.

Burden is going to be a nightmare to contain with a two-way go in the NFL. That should set him up to make a lot of important plays on third downs.

View attachment 45437

The quick feet and long speed are effective on vertical routes too.

This is a great example of him beating press coverage against Mississippi State. It's one hesitation move and then acceleration into his route. That's exactly what you're looking for from your receiver. Don't waste time. Don't ruin the timing with the quarterback.

It's not flashy, but it's effective and gets the cornerback chasing him early in the route. Burden uses that positioning advantage and then separates at the top of the route with his inside hand.

Subtly pushing off from the defender gives him an uncontested catch. His ball skills here maximize the impact of his larger frame.

View attachment 45438

You have a receiver who understands blindpots, leverage and how to drive on cornerbacks to set them up. When you complement those qualities with upper body usage, size, athleticism and good ball skills, you have a receiver who ticks every box.

Burden was worthy of being a top 10 pick in the draft. This is likely why Poles selected him in the 2nd round despite having bigger needs at other positions.

How dominant he can actually be is unclear. He might be lacking the inch or two he'll need to fully dominate NFL defensive backs at the catch point. If we circle back to pro comparisons, Anquan Boldin might be the best in terms of playing style and how rounded he is.

But Boldin was also significantly heavier and slightly taller. Burden might be able to add more size and strength. He’s going to end up a secondary option on a stacked offensive roster. It's not a bad place to be for your long-term career really, it may end up being better for him than going in the top of the draft.

Since when is 4.40-4.45 slow for a wr?

 

[--CyBear--]

Fran Duffy had Luther Burden 8th overall and Colston Loveland 44th overall, so it ends up evening out (at least according to one draft prognosticator).

I’m excited about Burden’s talent and abilities. The girlfriend/mom/management thing is weird, and him flying off the handle, ripping people’s helmets off and throwing their mouthguards and generally losing his cool really easily is concerning.

But that’s why he fell, not because of the talent or ability. If BJ thinks he can make the most of Burden and harness his rougher edges, he’s probably going to be a legit dude.

He had Arroyo at 25. I was hoping for something like Nolen + Henderson + Arroyo or a Tackle in the 1st 2 rounds. Not sad with how this draft fell.

 

[Noonthirtyjoe]

If the correct LT was available at 10 or even Jeanty then Cole Kmet would be the clear number 1 TE on the team.

If the correct RB was available when the Bears picked in the second round then Burden would not be on the team.

I don't think this was a move against DJ Moore. I think it was simply finding the best player available to help the team at the time.

I agree. It happens to work out that he is insurance but it not why he is here. He is here because that is how the draft fell.

 

[remydat]

I think Burden reminds me more of Peter Warrick. Peterson and Deebo are bigger, more powerful runners IMO. While there are highlights of Burden breaking tackles, I think that is less due to power and more due to having this innate ability to use subtle stops, drop steps and the like to avoid defenders squaring him up. That was Warrick's forte.

Warrick couldnt quite translate that to the NFL but Burden is bigger than Warrick so may fare better running through those arm tackles at the NFL.

 

[knoxville7]

my concern with Burden(aside from the taking plays off) is that he never produced against the good defenses he faced in college

he was the classic bumslayer

 

[playthrough2001]

my concern with Burden(aside from the taking plays off) is that he never produced against the good defenses he faced in college

he was the classic bumslayer

Then he should be awesome against the Lions’ D.

 

[Salvaged Ship]

The talent is there with this guy, the one thing I worry about is his antics. He acts like an idiot when he scores, I hope there is none of the wide receiver diva attitude if he doesn’t get enough targets.

 

[dennehy]

my concern with Burden(aside from the taking plays off) is that he never produced against the good defenses he faced in college

he was the classic bumslayer

Agreed, although Missou was kinda overwhelmed talent wise against the top SEC teams.

Still, I'm not sold on this guy. Just seems like a lot that can go wrong with him.

 

[Wild_x_Card]

Don't think they met with him, so not sure how they can know if they think they can harness his rough edges.

I may be wrong though.

They had to have met at some point. Because Randle El was speaking in past tense and saying thing to him like, " just like we talked about" when on the phone with him. Johnson also references talking to his coaches in that same call.

 

[ZOMBIE@CTESPN]

Too early to say generational?

 

[knoxville7]

Agreed, although Missou was kinda overwhelmed talent wise against the top SEC teams.

Still, I'm not sold on this guy. Just seems like a lot that can go wrong with him.

i mean, kinda sorta. they have been a team typically ranked in the top 25 and they have sent guys like Membou to the league. in 2023, burdens big year, they went to the Cotton Bowl to play Ohio State and finished the year11-2 with a 3rd place finish in the SEC

so while i get where youre coming from in that they are not in the upper tier of talent in the SEC, they also were not anywhere near the bottom either

burden simply didnt play near as well against good defenses, which in theory makes logical sense. but it also worries me a tad

 

[playthrough2001]

i mean, kinda sorta. they have been a team typically ranked in the top 25 and they have sent guys like Membou to the league. in 2023, burdens big year, they went to the Cotton Bowl to play Ohio State and finished the year11-2 with a 3rd place finish in the SEC

so while i get where youre coming from in that they are not in the upper tier of talent in the SEC, they also were not anywhere near the bottom either

burden simply didnt play near as well against good defenses, which in theory makes logical sense. but it also worries me a tad

Most times they would play, he had to be the number one focus. That won’t be the case in this offense. He should get some real solid matchups to exploit.

 

[knoxville7]

Most times they would play, he had to be the number one focus. That won’t be the case in this offense. He should get some real solid matchups to exploit.

ehhh everyone in the NFL were elite players in college. those are the guys that were shutting him down in college lol

when you put up single digit yardage against the georgias and alabamas of the world, it is concerning to me

i hope he ends up being a good pro

 

[Luke]

not too shabby

 

[WookieOnRitalin]

The only reason that Burden was available where he was is simply because Mizzou's rushing game went into the dumpster last year. In 2023, their RB1 rushed for over 1600 yards. Last year, they did not have anyone over 900. Teams played Mizzou and Cook differently and it hurt the numbers. Brady Cook additionally ended up throwing 800 less yards last year.

The offense was simply down overall. That is not all on Burden. I imagine he commanded more doubles last year after his breakout year in '23. Consequently, his teammate ended up leading the team in yards.

Burden was a great pick where he was. Keep this in mind.

If you had asked yourself, last year, we would end up with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden (two top 10 WR in '23), how would you have felt about it then?

That should be cased closed.

 

[DanielCCSBears]

The idea that the Bears needed another WR instead of an edge rusher is fucking mind numbing.

 

[knoxville7]

The only reason that Burden was available where he was is simply because Mizzou's rushing game went into the dumpster last year. In 2023, their RB1 rushed for over 1600 yards. Last year, they did not have anyone over 900. Teams played Mizzou and Cook differently and it hurt the numbers. Brady Cook additionally ended up throwing 800 less yards last year.

The offense was simply down overall. That is not all on Burden. I imagine he commanded more doubles last year after his breakout year in '23. Consequently, his teammate ended up leading the team in yards.

Burden was a great pick where he was. Keep this in mind.

If you had asked yourself, last year, we would end up with Rome Odunze and Luther Burden (two top 10 WR in '23), how would you have felt about it then?

That should be cased closed.

ill bite...

you point out how the entire teams numbers dropped last year, which is true

but why did Burden fail to perform against any good defenses in 2023 as well then?

he beat up on inferior competition and disappeared against top competition, even in 2023