The Cleveland Browns will need a wide receiver, and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III aligns with the value, need, and scheme fit in the 2025 NFL draft.
Currently slotted to select eighth overall in the draft if it were today, the Browns sit in a weird position where there is not quite an offensive tackle worth that selection, and both quarterbacks are likely to be off the board. This leads to the potential to add a wide receiver.
In a new mock draft written at Daft on Draft, the Browns picked the Missouri standout with the eighth overall pick with the two top quarterbacks already off the board. Here is what Daft on Draft had to say about Burden III and his fit with the Browns:
“Out of reach for a quarterback and with no offensive tackles worth drafting in the top ten, the Browns add a dynamic playmaker. Elijah Moore is a free agent after the season, and Luther Burden III is practically juiced up Moore after the catch with some immaculate body control when working down the field and along the boundary.”
The Browns, for so long, have tried to find a player they can stretch the field laterally with and extend their run game. Moore has not quite been that player. However, Burden III, predominantly a slot who has the skill set to play outside as well, is a force in the open field with the football in his hands.
Then taking into account his body of work down the field, Burden III has the innate ability to locate the football and adjust his body on the fly with elite body control to make the play. This would be a tremendous fit for the Browns offensively.
With six games to play, however, the Browns have the chance to see their draft slot sway in either direction. For now, however, Luther Burden III would be a stellar selection.