It’s not often that an NFL coach will make a bold proclamation in May.

Most coaches try to avoid hyperboles during offseason workouts, especially Organized Team Activities. Great performances in shorts during the spring don’t mean they’ll translate to games in the fall.

But Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson didn’t shy away from sharing his excitement Thursday during the second day of OTA practice at Halas Hall. It only took one OTA practice and roughly a month of voluntary workouts for him to fully buy into the Luther Burden III hype.

“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now,” Johnson said. “Just how he’s approached his offseason, it’s been electric. I showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in phase two he was finishing every single rep that he took, and that really translated over to yesterday as well. So he’s in a really good spot.”

There’s plenty of reasons to buy Burden’s stock at this point.

Burden broke out toward the second half of last season after Bears general manager Ryan Poles selected him in the second round of last year’s draft. He missed a good part of the spring last year because of injuries, which delayed his development. Burden finished only one of his first seven games with over 51 receiving yards thanks to a flea-flicker pass against the Dallas Cowboys.

But Burden became more of a threat as he got comfortable in the offense down the stretch. Johnson wanted to find different ways to get the ball in his hands because of his speed, so he called different screens and short throws. Burden made the most of his opportunities and finished with 652 receiving yards and two touchdowns.

“When we drafted him, we saw an explosive athlete who was really dangerous with the ball in his hands,” Johnson said. “The question was, how can we get it in his hands? The easy things to do are screens or short throws, but I think there’s a lot more to his game that we’ve worked to unlock, and he’s been really receptive to how we can get that done.”

Burden has spent most of the offseason at Halas Hall working to get faster in all senses of the word.

He used the off months to get stronger and quicker as he wanted to expand his route tree. Burden made the most of an opportunity he didn’t get last year after rookie minicamp as he dealt with a couple injuries that kept him out until training camp.

Burden also used the offseason to fully dive into Johnson’s playbook. After a delayed start to his NFL career, Burden struggled to be in the right spots throughout training camp. He showed more comfort in his alignments and assignments during the second half of the season, which has carried over to the spring.

“He looks like what we saw coming out of college, and obviously now, there’s no hesitation,” Bears wide receivers coach Antwaan Randle El said. “He knows the offense, he’s getting off, he’s running. And the other thing is just getting off the ball and running, like full speed, no hesitation, and that’s showing up because he knows the offense. He has more confidence than he’s had before.

“He’s catching it, he’s finishing down the field, and those things translate over to the game. It’s good to see him doing that and continuing to move forward with that.”

Burden himself has noticed a change in his speed this offseason because of his comfort in the playbook. Instead of wasting effort thinking about what he has to do on each play call, Burden just goes out there and does it.

“I feel it helps a lot, because if you’re thinking about what you’ve got to do, you can’t even focus on what the defense is in,” Burden said. “You’re trying to focus on what you’ve gotta do. If you already know what you’ve got to do, I feel like you’ll have a better plan of how to attack their defense.”

It’s a safe bet that Burden will have more chances to show off that speed at the start of the season.

Burden will be higher in quarterback Caleb Williams’ progression after the team traded wide receiver DJ Moore to the Buffalo Bills this offseason. Moore finished second on the team with 85 targets last season compared to Burden’s 60.

“I’m buying Luther Burden stock right now. Just how he’s approached his offseason, it’s been electric. I showed up yesterday, he had numerous explosive plays. I loved how in phase two he was finishing every single rep that he took, and that really translated over to yesterday as well. So he’s in a really good spot.”

—  Ben Johnson, Chicago Bears head coach

Williams will still have top targets like wide receiver Rome Odunze and tight end Colston Loveland. But Burden will look to fill Moore’s void both in production on the field and compete for the top of the pecking order.

“I just feel like somebody else in the room got to step up,” Burden said. “Got to step up when your number is called. DJ was great for us, great leader for us, great leader for the room, so somebody’s got to step up.”

The Bears are betting Burden will be that player.

Poles and Johnson couldn’t pass on the opportunity to select Burden last year when he dropped to them in second round last year despite the talent they already had in the wide receiver room. Burden’s ability to do something special with the ball in his hands was too much to say no to.

Bears teammates have seen how motivated Burden has been during the offseason to make that bet cash in. Running back D’Andre Swift told reporters Thursday that Burden looks like a young player who’s hungry and confident in his ability.

So what exactly is Burden hungry for?

“Just prove that I am who I say I am,” Burden said.

Who’s that?

“The guy,” Burden said. “I’m that guy. ”