Late Thursday night, after the first 32 players had been selected in the NFL draft, Luther Burden III did what felt natural to him.
He still had no idea which organization would cast a line his way. Plus, he was feeling plenty of agitation after his dreams of being a first-round pick had been dashed. Thus, Burden headed for the football facilities at the University of Missouri and beelined for the field. He had his girlfriend feed the JUGS machine, caught a bunch of passes and used the after-midnight workout as his destressor.
“Just to clear my head, pretty much,” Burden said. “The field is an escape for me. Always has been. And I needed to hit the field to clear my head.”
The weight of feeling snubbed and underappreciated can grow heavy.
The following night, a little after 6:30 p.m., Burden’s phone rang. The Chicago Bears were reaching out, using a second-round pick to add him to an offense already full of impressive playmakers.
That selection was attention-grabbing across multiple levels. The Bears had already used their top pick — No. 10 in Round 1 — on Michigan tight end Colston Loveland, a dynamic pass catcher who should quickly become a friendly target for quarterback Caleb Williams. Now they were also adding Burden, mixing him into a receivers room that already featured DJ Moore and Rome Odunze.
Was this perhaps a luxury pick for general manager Ryan Poles and new coach Ben Johnson, particularly with more glaring needs on both lines and in parts of their secondary?
“We really did a good job following the board,” Poles said, “kind of letting it talk to us. It was clear (Burden) was the most talented player on the board.”
But might there be such a thing as having too many toys, with the Bears now having to figure out how to feed so many mouths in their offense with only one football?
“That’s something Ben and I have talked about,” Poles acknowledged Friday night. “I know that’s something he can handle. And he’s going to have conversations with the guys about being selfless and doing what’s best for the team.”
Tight end Colston Loveland, selected by the Bears with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NFL draft, is introduced at Halas Hall on April 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Tight end Colston Loveland, selected by the Bears with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NFL draft, is introduced at Halas Hall on April 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)Tight end Colston Loveland, selected by the Bears with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NFL draft, is introduced at Halas Hall on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland is tackled by Oregon defensive back Kobe Savage during the third quarter at Michigan Stadium on Nov. 2, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (David Guralnick/The Detroit News/TNS)
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announces Colston Loveland being chosen by the Chicago Bears with the No. 10 pick during the first round of the NFL draft on April 24, 2025, in Green Bay, Wis. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Fans attending a Bears draft party at Soldier Field watch highlights of Colston Loveland after the Michigan tight end was selected at No. 10 on April 24, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Bears tight end Colston Loveland poses for a photograph with his brothers Cayden, left, and Cash after being introduced at Halas Hall on April 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The family of tight end Colston Loveland listen as the Bears first-round draft pick is introduced at Halas Hall on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Tight end Colston Loveland, selected by the Bears with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NFL draft, is introduced at Halas Hall on April 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Colston Loveland speaks to the media during the NFL combine at Lucas Oil Stadium on Feb. 27, 2025 in Indianapolis. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland maneuvers against Arkansas State safety Justin Parks on Sept. 14, 2024, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (AP Photo/Al Goldis)
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland scores a touchdown against Michigan State on Oct. 21, 2023, in East Lansing, Mich. (Al Goldis/AP)
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland reaches for yardage after a catch as Rutgers linebacker Deion Jennings defends in the first half in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Sept. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Bears tight end Colston Loveland steps up to the microphone as he is introduced at Halas Hall on April 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The family of tight end Colston Loveland listens in as the Bears first-round draft pick is introduced at Halas Hall on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The Bears introduce tight end Colston Loveland at Halas Hall on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Tight end Colston Loveland, selected by the Bears with the No. 10 pick in the NFL draft, is introduced at Halas Hall on Friday, April 25, 2025, in Lake Forest. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
Michigan’s Colston Loveland, left, is tackled by Washington’s Dominique Hampton during the CFP national championship game on Jan. 8, 2024, at NRG Stadium in Houston. (Logan Riely/Getty Images)
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland (18) catches a 54-yard touchdown reception against Indiana defensive back Louis Moore on Oct. 14, 2023, in Ann Arbor, Mich. (Paul Sancya/AP)
Michigan tight end Colston Loveland (18) runs through the tackle of Indiana linebacker Aaron Casey (44) in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Oct. 14, 2023. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
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Tight end Colston Loveland, selected by the Bears with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the NFL draft, is introduced at Halas Hall on April 25, 2025. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The volume of high-profile, high-investment playmakers on the Bears offense is impressive, so much so that ESPN analyst Louis Riddick almost fell out of his chair on the network’s draft broadcast Friday when Burden was selected.
“It’s an embarrassment of riches, quite honestly, on paper for Chicago,” Riddick said.
On that paper?
And now there’s Burden, too, an electric playmaker, who can run his routes from the outside, be explosive out of the slot or simply display his dynamic athleticism as a ball carrier or a run-after-catch bottle rocket.
Whoa, right?
“Chicago is poised to take off,” Riddick said.
Still, there’s an incredible level of faith inside Halas Hall that Johnson will manage all this properly, not only with his skills as an accomplished and creative offensive overseer but also with his leadership.
Getting production from an offense this loaded may be the easy part. Doing so in a manner that keeps each of the individual players involved, locked in and happy may present some challenging moments, requiring the first-time head coach to push the right buttons with his players and show that his emotional intelligence can be a true strength in the Bears’ bid to become a championship contender.
On Saturday night, not long after the NFL draft concluded, Johnson spelled out some of his vision.
“Listen,” he said, “we talked about it the moment the players got back in the building (for the offseason program). This is going to be a competitive environment. There is no depth chart right now. If you want to play, you’ve got to go earn it. If you want a role, you’ve got to go earn it. They know that. So we were very straightforward and honest when they came in the building.
“I think all we did this weekend is we might have just turned up the dial a couple of notches for certain people in the building. That’s a good thing. That’s a healthy thing. That’s where you bring out the best not only in your team but in each individual.”
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As the offensive visionary and play-caller, Johnson said his eyes will constantly be drifting toward how his skill players operate when the football is not in their hands.
“You’re right. We have a lot of weapons,” Johnson said. “So how are you going to run your route when you might not be No. 1 in the progression? How are you going to block for your teammate when he has the ball? Because when you do those things right, as a coaching staff, we’re going to want to get you the ball a little bit more. It all ties together.”
This should be a fun challenge. And it’s certainly an unfamiliar one at Halas Hall, where in the 21st century the Bears have finished with a top-10 offense just once — in 2013. But it remains a challenge nonetheless. Johnson will have to manage egos and distribute touches and create buy-in from some of his center-stage players to take on different roles.
Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson works on the Lions sideline in the second quarter of a game against the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago on Dec. 22, 2024. (Chris Sweda/Chicago Tribune)
The offensive position coaches also will have to be assertive daily in reminding players of the teamwide standards and the group’s ultimate goal.
Was there any surprise Saturday that, on the day Burden reported to Halas Hall for the first time, he already was discussing how he would handle a workload that might not put the ball in his hands as often as he’d like, something he experienced last season at Missouri?
“I just learned to take every opportunity you can get,” Burden said. “Try to fulfill it the best you can. My mindset is that every time I get the ball, I’m trying to make the play caller give me the ball some more.”
That was a mature response, no doubt. Yet part of the reason Burden was available to the Bears in the second round was that some league evaluators questioned his dip in production at Missouri from 2023 (86 catches and 1,212 receiving yards) to 2024 (61 receptions and 676 yards).
“I would just say it was the opportunities given,” Burden said. “There were a lot more opportunities the year before.”
Still, there were whispers within league circles that Burden’s frustrations weren’t always channeled in the right direction and that he might require extra oversight in the NFL to dial in the way he’ll need to at football’s highest level. That means accepting intense coaching and understanding the preparation demands in the classroom, the weight room and on the practice field.
The Bears, though, have placed a bet on Burden’s intense competitive spirit and undeniable passion for football, believing he has an edge they will be able to tap into positively.
“Football has opened so many opportunities for me,” Burden said. “I love football to death. It’s my life.”
As for his buy-in to Johnson’s “no block, no rock” edict, Burden seemed willing there, too.
“I feel like that’s fair,” he said. “You want the ball. But if you don’t block for your teammates, there should be a consequence. I love to block. They’ve got no problem with me.”
Poles, though, is wise enough and experienced enough to anticipate some type of tension and frustration creeping into his locker room — at some point from somebody. That’s just life in the NFL, in a cutthroat world in which the pursuit of excellence often grows complicated.
“My biggest fear is winning here,” Poles said. “More than anything else. Because that’s when it gets really hard. And I lived that in Kansas City before I came here. I’ve seen that same conversation. There’s only one ball (to go around).”
Team unity is necessary. Strong leadership will be a must.
“Someone is going to be hot one week. Another person’s going to be hot the next,” Poles said. “And we have to support that person. If that means you’re blocking, you’re blocking. Whatever that means, you have to do your part to the highest level so we can win football games.”
It’s almost as if those last three words have become ingrained in the Bears GM’s subconscious, an almost hourly mantra that he repeats to himself.
Win football games.
Poles understands where expectations for his team are headed.
So, call Burden a luxury pick for the Bears if you desire. But there was a purpose in how Poles approached this draft.
“We’ve got to win football games,” he said. “And I know that the more talent you have on the team, the better your opportunity is to win games. We haven’t won a lot of games here. So, yeah, things might be a little bit different. You may not be the only person (featured). But at the end of the day, the goal is for us to win. And contracts and all of that other stuff takes care of itself when you win.”
These seem to be new times at Halas Hall. With new dynamics and changing demands.
The Bears are confident they can handle it all and feel ready to attack that part of the challenge. But the road ahead won’t be fully paved. And navigating it will require sharp focus.
Originally Published: April 28, 2025 at 6:00 AM CDT