The Chicago Bears traded away DJ Moore this offseason to the Buffalo Bills and will now be relying on Luther Burden III and Rome Odunze as their top receivers for Caleb Williams.
This is a WR duo to be excited about, and there's plenty of optimism srrounding burden, especially after a promising end to his rookie campaign.
To further nail that point home, and to prove the Bears got a steal with Burden in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft, ESPN's Bill Barnwell's trade value projection for Burden makes it clear the Bears' second-year WR is already better than his draft slot.
Bears got a draft steal with Luther Burden III with ESPN's trade value projection
"One first-round pick: WR Luther Burden III, TE Colston Loveland, WR Rome Odunze, S Dillon Thieneman," Barnwell writes.
Barnwell has the Bears' WR duo both worth a first-round pick in a hypothetical trade scenario. That's some great news on its own.
But, with the context of the Burden pick, No. 39 overall in the 2025 NFL Draft, it makes their selection look a whole lot better.
The 22-year-old wide receiver is already worth more than his draft slot from a year ago. Even though he's yet to have a true breakout season into a star receiver, the massive potential has Burden already worth at least a first-rounder, according to Barnwell.
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During his rookie season, he caught 47 passes for 652 yards and two touchdowns. He added 66 yards on six receptions during the playoffs, and also ran the ball six times for 37 yards during the regular season.
It was a decent rookie season, but with how much hype there is around the Bears' WR, with Ben Johnson buying his stock, and Loveland calling Burden "the truth," it's hard not to get excited about Burden in 2026.
Burden is already projected to be worth a first-round pick one year after taking him with the 39th overall pick in the second round. He's already worth more than the pick the Bears used to get him, proving he's a steal.
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