Former Mizzou WR Luther Burden III scores opening touchdown on MNF vs. Eagles
By Rolando Rosa
Published:
A former Missouri wide receiver got his NFL team on the board first in Week 3’s edition of Monday Night Football. Luther Burden III took a shovel pass from Case Keenum and broke multiple tackles before backpedaling into the end zone to give the Chicago Bears an opening drive touchdown vs. the visiting Philadelphia Eagles.
It’s the first touchdown of the season for the 6-foot, 210-pound Burden III.
Burden III entered the game with 8 receptions for 95 yards and 11.9 yards per catch. He was drafted by the Bears with the No. 39 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Burden III amassed 47 receptions for 652 yards and 2 touchdowns as a rookie.
Burden III arrived at Missouri as a 5-star prospect, the nation’s No. 2 wide receiver, and the top player from Illinois according to 247Sports. He lived up to the billing with the Tigers en route to earning back-to-back First-team All-SEC honors (2023, 2024). Burden III had 2,263 receiving yards and 21 receiving touchdowns while also adding 4 rushing scores in his 3 college seasons.
The St. Louis native is a gridiron pro but also has a hardwood background. Burden III played basketball in high school and his grandfather Luther Burden played professionally for the Virginia Squires and New York Knicks.
