Missouri Star WR Luther Burden Chooses Joe Burrow Over Patrick Mahomes In a Game About NFL QBs

Almost every year, quarterbacks steal the spotlight in draft discussions, and 2025 is no exception. With endless debates swirling around Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward, one of the most electrifying talents in the class—Missouri WR Luther Burden III—has somehow flown under the radar. Contrary to his name, Burden has been the biggest asset for the Tigers over the past three years, racking up 2,263 yards and 21 TDs while torching SEC defenders for fun.

The Missouri star’s impressive showing continued at the 2025 NFL Combine. He ran a blazing 4.41-second 40-yard dash, helping him earn a strong 79/100 athleticism score. While Burden’s on-field explosiveness has made headlines up to this point, it was his unexpected off-field response to a quarterback debate that lit up social media.

Burden recently sat down with journalist Aditi Kinkhabwala for a lighthearted game, where he was asked to choose between different quarterbacks in a series of rapid-fire questions. It was all fun and games until Burden decided to ditch Missouri’s very own Patrick Mahomes for his AFC rival.

The NFL analyst kicked off the game by urging Burden to choose between last year’s top draft prospects – Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. “Name two quarterbacks you’d be more excited about catching passes from. Caleb Williams or Drake Maye?” she asked. Burden didn’t hesitate in saying, “Caleb Williams.” Then she upped the stakes, “Caleb Williams or Jayden Daniels?” Burden responded, “Jayden Daniels.”

Once Burden uttered Daniels’ name, he couldn’t seem to pick any other NFL playmaker over him as the WR chose the Commanders’ sensation over Aaron Rodgers and reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen.

But the moment the name of Bengals talisman Joe Burrow entered the game, Burden switched. “Jayden Daniels or Joe Burrow?” asked Aditi, to which the Missouri star picked the latter. Interestingly enough, the WR’s stance did not change even when Ravens star Lamar Jackson was pitted against Burrow. But then came the big one.

“Joe Burrow or the man that plays just down the road from you, Patrick Mahomes?” asked the analyst. “Joe Burrow,” answered Burden without even flinching. Kinkhabwala, like many, was stunned to see the Missouri star ditch the Kansas City icon. She then urged the NFL prospect to explain his take, “Wow. Do you want to tell us why?”

But Burden’s reasoning was simple:

“Joe, just—he gonna try to give you an opportunity. If it’s 4th and short, he might just throw it, launch it. I mean, that’s what you want as a receiver. You want big plays.”

If you play for Missouri, picking any NFL quarterback over Patrick Mahomes will not sit well with their fans, considering how the Chiefs star has almost single-handedly put Kansas City on the map.

However, as Burden stated, his choice to support Burrow over Mahomes simply came down to trust. With his deep-ball accuracy, Burrow has built a reputation for putting the ball exactly where his receivers need it. That’s an enticing prospect for a player like Burden, who thrives on making big plays downfield.

But there might be a bigger play brewing here. As per some draft projections, the Cincinnati Bengals are among the favorites to draft Burden, especially with no inroads being made in Ja’Marr Chase’s contract extension.

So did the Tigers star ditch Mahomes in anticipation of a potential pairing with Burrow in Cincinnati? We may never know, but we do know that whichever team drafts Luther Burden will get a receiver who knows exactly what he wants from a QB.