The Chicago Bears know they have something special in their young wide receiver, Luther Burden III, after taking him in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
While he was primarily used as a screen pass receiver earlier in the season, he proved that he can be the deep threat they selected him to be. His first season stats were 47 receptions for 652 yards and two touchdowns as he finished fourth on the team in yards.
Fantasy Life's Ian Hartitz shared an interesting stat about Burden that compared him well with other rookies in the last decade. Burden had more yards per route run by a rookie wide receiver than any other in the last 10 years.
1. Luther Burden III 2.71
2. A.J. Brown 2.68
3. Justin Jefferson 2.66
4. Puka Nacua 2.60
5. Ja'Marr Chase 2.51
Luther Burden is in good company with those guys
Burden has himself with a great group of receivers. What they all have in common is that Burden is just as much of a playmaker as guys like Brown, Jefferson, Nacua, and Chase.
It's clear that Burden has all the skills and traits to make him one of the top receivers in the NFL, but he has to get the chance to prove it. He was not used the right way in the offense at the beginning of the season and got swallowed up by Rome Odunze, Colston Loveland, and DJ Moore, who got more looks.
Moore was traded away in the offseason to the Buffalo Bills, so he is out of the picture. Burden moves up on the depth chart at number two behind Odunze as the top two receivers on the roster.
Loveland could end up being the number one receiver on the team by the end of the 2026 season, but Bears quarterback Caleb Williams has been really good about spreading the ball around. Watch for Williams to hit Burden on more deep passes and really give him a chance to show off his speed.
Read more: Kay Adams sounds ready to watch one Bears' 2026 game for a Caleb Williams reason
The Bears have so many weapons on their offense, but Burden hasn't even scratched the surface of what he can do for this team.
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