It’s a mixed bag for the Chicago Bears. Their most hyped rookie wide receiver, Luther Burden III, has finally touched down at Halas Hall. This is his first appearance at the team’s first padded practice of the 2025 training camp after his injury. While fans can breathe a sigh of relief seeing him back in action, it’s not all smooth sailing just yet. Burden still seems to be finding his footing as he works his way back into his pace. For now, he’s shaking off the rust.

This might have been evident in the training camp. However, he did not participate in team drills. He was down with a hamstring injury during rookie minicamp back in early May, and that cost him the rest of the Bears’ offseason work, including OTAs and mandatory minicamp. The Bears were hopeful that he’d be ready to roll by the start of training camp, but he didn’t bounce back as expected.

Instead, it kept Burden out of the first four practices. In the recent episode of The Saturday Morning Inspection, the host mentioned the issue with the Bears’ rookie as well as Tai Felton. And with the stats, he drew a parallel with the former Lions‘ undrafted rookie star Jackson Meeks. “We’ve got the overall grade according to PFF, their passing grade, which is receiving in this case, and run blocking. You can see Meeks as an undrafted free agent better than a lot of these guys. And if you look at Luther Burden with the Chicago Bears…Now he’s been hurt. That’s concerning,” the host explained. That can be painful for the Bears as well.

It is quite safe to say, Meeks has impressed everyone. And the host’s comment might be a suggestion to Lions HC Dan Campbell to put more focus on Meeks’s development. “Jackson Meeks, based on the analytics, he’s better than these mid-round guys…We look at a guy like Meeks, who was a transfer guy, was at Georgia, transferred to Syracuse, only got one year of big-time college football playing time,” the host added.

Burden and Tai are both highly drafted players. Last year, the Missouri WR Burden led his team with 61 catches for 676 yards and six touchdowns across 12 games, averaging 11.1 yards per reception. His role as a slot receiver could benefit the Bears. However, he must be healthy.

While Burden entered the league with high expectations, Meeks has been quietly building buzz and his dreams in the NFL.

What is Jackson Meeks’s biggest dream in the NFL?

Alike Burden, former Lions edge rusher Za’Darius Smith’s nephew, may have gone undrafted earlier this year, but his impact is already being felt. In fact, the wide receiver is living a dream that even some top picks struggle to realize—earning a spot on an NFL roster after going undrafted.

Coming off his final season at Syracuse, Meeks recorded 78 catches for 1,021 yards and seven touchdowns. Not headline-grabbing numbers, perhaps, but solid enough to earn him Second-Team All-ACC honors. Those accolades likely helped him land a deal with the Lions, who signed him as an undrafted free agent for $200,000.

The Lions value toughness and versatility—especially from wideouts who contribute in the run game. Meeks checked that box with a strong Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade of 75.5, an area Detroit has long prioritized. Off the field, Meeks has also built a connection with veteran pass rusher Smith. While it’s still unclear whether Smith will re-sign with Detroit, Meeks has leaned on him for guidance since arriving in Allen Park. And this is what his second dream is all about: playing alongside his uncle.

“Man, he just told me to come in here and do what I’ve been doing—grind. Give 100 percent every play, show that I’m a dog, because at the end of the day, he’s a dog. And he’s my role model, if I’m being honest. He’s shown me how to do it since I was 11 or 12 years old, when he first got in the league,” Meeks told reporters, according to MLive.

For Meeks, the goal now is to carve out a spot on the Lions’ roster—and his unique skill set might be what gives him the edge.