Missouri WR Luther Burden III is skipping the bowl and entering the NFL draft

Missouri star Luther Burden III is declaring for the NFL Draft, he told ESPN.

Burden finishes his three-year career at Missouri as one of the program’s most productive players and a transformative recruit who helped the school to a 20-5 mark over the last two years. He will not participate in Missouri’s bowl game and will begin preparing for the NFL Draft.

The decision is expected as it comes after Burden’s Senior Day victory in Missouri’s home finale against Arkansas this weekend, which ended Missouri’s season at 9-3. Burden is projected to be Mel Kiper Jr.’s No. 19 pick in the upcoming draft and will be in the running for the draft’s top wide receiver.

“I think this is the best time to enter the draft,” Burden told ESPN. “I am confident in what I can achieve at the next level. I’m ready for the next step.”

All of ESPN’s draft analysts have Burden ranked among the top three wide receivers in the upcoming draft, along with Colorado’s Travis Hunter and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. Burden expects ESPN draft analyst Matt Miller to be the No. 1 receiver. Missouri coach Eliah Drinkwitz compared Burden, who is 5-foot-10 and weighs 200 pounds, to San Francisco’s Deebo Samuel.

After just three seasons at Missouri, Burden will leave the program as one of the program’s most prolific and prolific receivers. He is No. 6 on the school’s all-time receiving list (2,263 yards), tied for No. 5 in receiving touchdowns (21) and No. 4 in receptions (192).

“The ultimate goal was to come here and make a difference,” Burden said. “I feel like I have achieved my goal with everything I set out to do before I arrived. It was a pleasure to be here. I will love Mizzou forever.”

Burden expressed his appreciation for his time in Missouri. He thanked his position coach Jacob Peeler for “pushing me every day.” He added: “It wasn’t sunshine and rainbows every day; there were hard times. I’m grateful that he stood by my side and encouraged me.”

He also expressed his appreciation for the staff and Drinkwitz who brought him to Columbia in one of the biggest recruiting wins in school history. Burden was the No. 5 player in ESPN’s 2022 recruiting rankings.

“I want to thank Coach Drink for giving me the opportunity to come here and represent the state in a positive way,” Burden said. “Without him none of this would be possible. He has been by my side since day 1. I’m grateful for him.”

Burden, a St. Louis native, chose Missouri over schools like Alabama and Georgia, which proved important in attracting other top talent to the school.

He finished his career with 26 touchdowns – 21 receiving, 4 rushing and one on special teams. His 1,212 receiving yards in 2023 are the third-most in a single season in program history.

“I just want to be remembered as a player who can change a program,” he said, “and give other people hope to come to Mizzou. You don’t have to go to the top schools. You can go your own way. I wanted to be different.

Burden expressed his appreciation for his teammates and everyone who has helped him along the way since he was a child in St. Louis.

He said he’s looking forward to showing the NFL what he can do.

“They’re getting a person who can obviously change the entire program for the better,” he said, “and they’re getting the best playmaker in the country.”

As for his next step, Burden added, “We’re just getting started.”