The new league year started like when? Two weeks ago? We've seen a full offseason's worth of action and haven't even arrived in Green Bay for the 2025 NFL Draft yet. The Philadelphia Eagles compensated for many of their losses in free agency with low-risk and inexpensive signings. The work is just beginning. Now, it's all about Pro Days and Top 30 visits.
Philly has met with a lot of O-linemen as we're now less than one month away from showtime. They've also spread the love around to stars who play other positions.
That includes a versatile tailback who once teamed with Bijan Robinson at Texas with the Longhorns. We didn't hear about them being interested in Luther Burden III, but lines were drawn recently connecting the dots representing him and Philly's 32nd selection.
Eagles news: When did we begin mentioning a receiver at the 32nd selection?
Most conversations about the Eagles' draft strategy have been pretty consistent. The consensus is that most would rather see Philly take an edge rusher to conclude the first night of the 2025 NFL Draft at the 32nd selection.
But, there are mentions of an offensive lineman being the best course of action. Most probably wouldn't complain if that's what the Birds are thinking. After all, they need to begin planning for life post-Lane Johnson.
We haven't ventured towards adding a wide receiver in Round 1, but that's a theory Chris Trapasso from Athlon Sports offered recently. He mentions Luther Burden III as a sneaky Day 1 selection by the Birds in his recent NFL mock draft. Here's what he stated as his reason for drawing that conclusion.
"Burden is clearly talented, and he's young. The Eagles don't have a drastic need at receiver, so Burden can slowly work his way into a prominent role in Philadelphia."
We respectfully disagree with the theory. Sure, Burden was formerly viewed as someone who could potentially catapult himself atop this draft class at the wide receiver position. He may even still be a first-round selection. Philly has more pressing needs to fill though.
Their losses on the defensive side of the ball have been extensive. For that reason, we'd again look to restock there first. The only reason we'd support going against that idea and add more weapons for the offense would be to add depth to an already stellar offensive line.
If you're interested, Burden is six-foot-tall and weighs 205 pounds. He hauled in 61 receptions for 676 and eight TDs in his final run with the Missouri Tigers during the 2024 NCAA football season.
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