The Chicago Bears got a good one in second-round pick Luther Burden III. The Mizzou product wasn't thrilled about his NFL Draft slide, which pales in comparison to that of Shedeur Sanders or Quinn Ewers. Burden III was selected at pick No. 39, and is expected to pair well with Bears quarterback Caleb Williams. However, it was Burden III's message to every team that passed on him that should stick with Chicago's rivals.
"That's staying with me forever," Burden told the media on Friday. "Everybody who passed up on me got to pay."
Of course, the Bears themselves passed up on Burden once, selecting tight end Colston Loveland in the top-10.
“All I need is me to believe in myself. I don’t need everybody else to believe in me. As long as I believe in myself, I’m gonna handle business,” Burden said. “I had this attitude since I’ve been playing sports. It’s just in me.”
Bears rookie receiver has extra reason to question the Packers
Every NFL rookie enters the league with a chip on their shoulder, even if that player is Cam Ward, who was selected with the first-overall pick by the Tennessee Titans. However, some are more vocal about it than others. Burden is the favorite to take over as a slot receiver with the Bears, a position he spent over 450 snaps playing during his final season at Mizzouri. Burden is also a candidate to return punts and kicks in the Windy City.
While Burden's message should be heard across the NFL, there is one team that ought to have their ear to the ground more than most, and that's the Green Bay Packers. Green Bay finally took a first-round wide receiver for the first time in decades, and that wideout was not Burden. Instead, the Packers selected Matthew Golden out of Texas. Green Bay went on to take Savion Williams in the third round as well. Essentially, they wanted little to do with Burden unless it was on their terms, and the Bears weren't about to let that happen.
The Packers and Bears play twice next season, per usual. Burden's comments wont be at the forefront of the discussion for that game, given Chicago and Green Bay typically have enough reason to hate each other in the game's leadup. That being said, you can be damn sure Burden will have extra motivation for that matchup. Hopefully for Bears fans, it ends in a winning effort.