NFL Draft 2025: Luther Burden 40 Time, Bench Press, & Draft Prediction

Luther Burden didn’t exactly impress with his measurements in the speed aspects of the 2025 NFL Combine. But he still has a chance of being one of the first wide receivers off of the board when the Draft rolls around in late April.

Luther Burden NFL Player Profile

Coming into the 2024 college football season, Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden was an early candidate to be a first round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. He was coming off of a 1,200 yard, 9 touchdown performance in 2023, and looked to solidify his stock by having another big year. But his production fell off in the Tigers’ offense, as his touchdown number dropped to 6 and his yards were nearly cut in half.

He is still considered to be a fringe first rounder, but Burden is no longer the top flight prospect that he was projected to be. He has solid positive traits, including his versatility and ball-tracking abilities, which will be attractive to scouts at the next level. His speed, however, is above average at very best, as is his size. Burden won’t be taking the top off of any defenses, as 75 percent of his career targets at Missouri were inside of ten yards.

Burden needed a solid showing at the 2025 NFL Combine, especially in the running events, but he finished in the middle of the pack in the two events that he participated in.

Luther Burden III showing why he’s such a highly-touted prospect 🗣️

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2025 NFL Combine Results

40-Yard Dash

There were 39 total wide receiver prospects who ran the 40-yard dash at the Combine. Luther Burden was able to post a time of 4.41 in the event, which was the 14th fastest in the group. He wasn’t slow by any means, but he certainly didn’t do much to disprove that is speed is nothing more than average.

10-Yard Split

There were 39 participants in the 10-yard split, as well, and Burden finished even further down the list in the acceleration portion of the tests over the weekend. His time of 1.54 seconds was tied with 6 other players, and there were 26 others who clocked a better mark.

Measurements

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 206 lbs

Arms: 31 ¼”

Hands: 8 ½”

Luther Burden 2025 NFL Draft Prediction

Burden may not be the best wide receiver prospect in this year’s class, but he is ranked by most to be at least in the top-5. Tetairoa McMillan is likely to be the first WR off of the board, and guys like Emeka Egbuka and Matthew Golden have a chance of being selected before Burden. But there is still plenty of movement that could happen on NFL team’s big boards over the next two months, and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him fall somewhere in the 22 to 27 range.

Prediction: 1st Round, 25th overall pick – Houston Texans