6 players the Buccaneers should keep an eye on for 2025 NFL Draft
By Brad Smith
Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
Following the 2024 season, the Bucs' wide receiver core could look a lot different. Not only will Mike Evans turn 31 years old, but Chris Godwin is set to enter free agency as an unrestricted free agent, which may mark the end of one of the league's premier wide receiver duos for several seasons. If 2024 ends up as Evans' or Godwin's (or both) last season in Tampa Bay, then wide receiver would be a prominent need to address next offseason.
In the draft, Burden will likely be WR1 and may be the first Missouri wide receiver to be picked in the top-five of the draft in school history. Burden, a consensus five-star recruit out of East St. Louis High School, has been nothing short of great during his first two seasons at Missouri.
In 13 starts as a freshman in 2022, Burden caught 45 passes for 375 receiving yards and eight touchdowns, while adding 88 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns on 18 carries. Burden also showed off his versatility as a punt returner, posting 151 return yards and one touchdown on 12 returns, including a 76-punt return for a touchdown against Abeline Christain in week three.
This past season, Burden was much improved while holding a larger role in the Tigers' offense. Starting in all 13 games, Burden caught 86 passes for 1,212 receiving yards, nine touchdowns, and 14.1 yards per catch, all career-highs. Burden would later earn nods to the AP's All-American Second Team and the All-SEC First-Team selection, while finishing 2023 with the ninth most receiving yards in the nation.
Standing at 5'11" and 208 pounds, Burden has the ideal frame for an NFL wide receiver, and his production from his first two seasons gives him the highest ceiling of any 2025 receiver prospect. If Burden has another standout season at Missouri, then he could be an intriguing prospect for Tampa Bay to look at closely next April, especially with the unknown future of Evans or Godwin in Tampa Bay.