The Dallas Cowboys were widely expected to come out of the first round of the NFL Draft with a new starting wide receiver. Those plans took a dark turn after the Panthers shockingly gobbled up Tetairoa McMillan with the No. 8 pick.
With McMillan off the board, Dallas pivoted to Alabama guard Tyler Booker, who represents a major upgrade on the offensive line but didn't create the buzz a new WR would have. Sure enough, Jerry Jones all but confirmed the team would have drafted McMillan if he was available.
"We thought he was a great, really outstanding football player,' Jones said of McMillan. "We had him very high on the board."
While a gut punch, there's no sense crying over spilled milk. The Cowboys can take a wideout with the No. 44 pick if the board falls kindly to them. Fortunately, one of the top WRs in the draft is still available and he sent a loud and clear message to teams after going undrafted.
Cowboys need to take Luther Burden in the second round of NFL Draft
Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden was in the lab working out well past midnight after he didn't hear his name called on Thursday. Burden shared a photo on Instagram of his football equipment that Brandon Loree of Blogging The Boys was kind enough to share on Twitter/X.
If this doesn't sell Dallas on Burden, then what will?
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Burden clearly is not happy about not getting drafted on night one. Can you blame him? His stock took a tumble after a funky final season in Missouri. He was an All-American in 2023, but the Tigers' offense really neutered his production.
Burden caught 66 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023 and followed that with 61 catches for 676 yards and six scores this season. He went from averaging 93.2 receiving yards per game to just 56.3. That can be attributed to Burden drawing 39 (!) fewer targets this season.
Despite that, Burden still tallied the most forced missed tackles of any FBS receiver, per PFF. Offensive coordinator Kirby Moore essentially made Burden a full-time slot receiver (over 85% of his snaps were in the slot). He was reduced to a gadget player who did most of his damage on crossing routes, so he was unable to show off his ability to create plays down the field.
Make no mistake, though: Burden can win at all three levels. While his route-running needs to be polished, he can develop into a high-end WR2 with time. He won't turn 22 until December and he clearly has a chip on his shoulder after getting snubbed in round one.
He is the perfect player to target at No. 44.