The Chicago Bears are without three of their 2025 draft picks in the early days of training camp. Second-rounders Luther Burden III and Shemar Turner are out with injuries while fifth-round selection Zah Frazier is away from the team for personal reasons, coach Ben Johnson said before Thursday’s practice.
Burden was the top draft prospect of the trio and came off the board at No. 39 overall. The former Missouri wide receiver projects as a slot target for Caleb Williams in what could be an explosive offense in the years to come, and he has special teams potential, as well, after he flashed ability as a punt returner in college.
Burden sustained a hamstring injury in rookie minicamp and missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp as a result. The expectation was that he would be ready to go for training camp, but hamstring injuries are notorious for sticking around longer than anticipated, and that appears to be the case with the rookie pass-catcher.
“We were very hopeful that he’d be ready to go Day 1, but the soft tissue that he was dealing with there in the springtime lingered a little bit longer than we wanted,” Johnson said. “So really, it’s day-to-day with him. Hopeful we’ll get him out there fairly soon, though.”
The Bears selected Turner with their last of three second-round picks at No. 62 overall. The Texas A&M product has the potential to contribute to Chicago’s pass rush straight away, but he injured his ankle in Wednesday’s practice, and the team still does not know the severity of the ailment nor how long he will be on the shelf.
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Turner was a versatile weapon on the Aggies’ defensive front last season and can make an impact both in run stopping and quarterback disruption. He made 10 sacks over four years in college.
Frazier heard his name called at No. 148 overall in the fifth round, and the cornerback from UTSA missed the first two days of camp with an excused absence.
Frazier is more of a developmental piece for the Bears given that their cornerback situation is already set. He started just one year in college and is already 24 years old.
Chicago made eight picks in this year’s draft, and while nearly half of them will miss time in training camp, their most prized pickup is active. Tight end Colston Loveland became the 10th player off the board and headlined the Bears’ rookie haul, which looks destined to shore up the team’s offensive and defensive units in the trenches and give its franchise quarterback more skill position weapons.
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Author: Carter Bahns
July 24, 2025 | 3:31 pm
