Bears WR Luther Burden receives incredible comp ahead of rookie season

Some player comps are more exciting than others, and the most recent one for Chicago Bears rookie wide receiver Luther Burden III is about as fun as they get.

Pro Football Focus fantasy football expert Nathan Jahnke went all-in on Burden’s upside and suggested he could be coach Ben Johnson’s Amon-Ra St. Brown in the Bears’ offense.

The comps to St. Brown have merit. Burden is a twitchy and explosive receiver who can break a defense’s back after the catch. He’s also expected to primarily line up in the slot, where St. Brown has starred for the Lions.

St. Brown has been remarkable the last few seasons in Johnson’s offense. He’s had back-to-back seasons with at least 115 catches, and has 22 touchdown catches over that span.

Amon-Ra St. Brown has made an impact for the Lions since his rookie season, when he posted numbers that could be within Luther Burden’s reach. St. Brown finished that 2021 season with 90 catches for 912 yards and five scores.

Burden missed most of the Chicago Bears’ offseason workout program with a soft-tissue injury, but he should be good to go when training camp practices get started on July 23.

It’ll be the first of many steps in Burden’s quest to make good on his promise to make the teams that passed on him in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft pay.

Burden slipped to the Chicago Bears at No. 39 overall despite being viewed as a lock first-round prospect for most of the 2024 season.

Luther Burden finished his final season at Missouri with 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns. It was a major regression from his dominant 2023 season, when he totaled 86 catches for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns.