Luther Burden III, Chicago Bears, Round 2, Pick 7
The Chicago Bears selected Luther Burden III with the seventh pick of round 2.
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Fantasy Football Impact for Luther Burden III on the Chicago Bears
I am ecstatic that my rookie receiver number one got high second-round draft capital. I am devastated that my rookie receiver number one will now compete for targets with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and Cole Kmet.
It's the Duality of Man. It's roulette on a spreadsheet. Isn't fantasy football fun?
From a redraft perspective, well, there isn't much to like. Burden will go right into the mix at wide receiver, but, barring injury ahead of him, he's a long shot to get much beyond Chicago's wide receiver three as a rookie. Our Jason Wood, who might be part android and definitely needs to sleep more, has already updated his projections for 2025. Wood pegs Burden to finish the season third among receivers - 4th among all pass-catchers - in receptions, with 37 catches for 514 yards and a couple of scores. I am NOT part android, I also need to sleep more, and I cannot argue with those projections.
In Woods' projections, the only incumbent Burden will pass for a share of the passing game in his rookie year is Cole Kmet, who, frankly, many Bears fans have already forgotten is still on their team.
That is not great value for a fantasy wide receiver on a redraft roster. He got great draft capital and a nice landing spot, but don't get carried away too early. The Burdenpacalypse will have to wait until one of the players in front of him in the pecking order ages out or is injured.
In dynasty, though? I'm still in. I went into the NFL Draft with Burden, Emeka Egbuka, and Tetairoa McMillan as my top-tier receivers. If you draft Burden in a dynasty league, this landing spot will require some patience, but it doesn't move him out of my top tier.
Coming into the NFL as a junior, Burden gave us a year of great production as a sophomore sandwiched between two so-so years as a freshman and junior. Still, his early production as a sophomore displays his ability to get on the field and compete for targets and receptions. He is fast, has near prototypical size for the modern NFL wide receiver, and in his best season in college, commanded 40% of Missouri's targets.
The landing spot isn't great for early production, but the attributes that inspired it are there. As Burden grows into an NFL player, those attributes should be hard for the Bears to ignore. Dynasty players take note. Don't let him fall too far.
The Fantasy Football Fallout
Burden and Colston Loveland, whom the Bears took in the first round, probably spell trouble for Kmet's share of the offense. I can't ignore that somewhere in the multiverse, there is a timeline where Burden comes into Soldier Field, snaps his fingers, and usurps Moore and Odunze as the Bears' wide receiver one for the Bears, but I think there's only a small chance we're living in that timeline. More likely, Burden needs a year to acclimate and find his role with the Bears. Moore is 28, expensive, and a holdover from the previous regime, though, and the Odunze/Burden/Loveland triumvirate looks like the future core of the Bears passing game.
Finally, it's probably obvious, but Caleb Williams should be doing cartwheels after the first couple of rounds of this draft. Along with last year's selection of Odunze and the work the team has done on the coaching staff and offensive line, these selections give him a foundation from which he should be able to take off. We'll see if he's ready.
Stock Watch
Risers
Fallers
Overview
Luther Burden III ends up in a great offense with a young quarterback and a head coach with a deep bag of offensive tricks. His long-term value should be solid as the young Bears' core grows together, and that will be good for his dynasty prospects. In redraft leagues, he won't be much more than depth or waiver-wire fodder in 2025, but could still be a valuable add late in drafts if you took Moore or Odunze early.
For more information on the 2025 NFL Draft, check out the Footballguys Rookie Draft Guide. The post-Draft edition will be released on April 30.
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