So much of the NFL isn't as much about winning a championship as it is about validating a journey or telling a story. 

For the Las Vegas Raiders' newest wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers, it is that journey that keeps him grounded, despite recently signing a three-year $33 million deal to join the Raiders. 

Meyers last played for the New England Patriots, where he internalized humble beginnings and never lost sight of his dream to be an everyday NFL player. 

Going undrafted in 2019 out of North Carolina gave Meyers a chip on his shoulder, fueling his rise in the NFL and his recent contract with the Raiders. His humble beginnings made him coachable and moldable. 

“That’s something I won’t ever let myself forget,” Meyers said of going undrafted. “I remind myself every day. Just so I don’t get too big-headed. At the end of the day, you’re still that undrafted kid from Georgia. Even saying that there are those moments where you’re like ‘well, you are that undrafted kid from Georgia.’ There are some precious moments, you know. Precious moments with my family. My mom shedding tears, my brothers, everybody. I know they’re proud and happy I went through and stuck it out. I smile when I think about it. I’m grateful. Just thank God.”

Everything didn't materialize for Meyers right away. It took time for him to learn the NFL game. And he approached each season with one goal: to improve who he was as a player. 

The glaring hole in his game was touchdown catches. He could often haul in passes, but he was never one to put the ball in the endzone. In his first two seasons, he didn't score a single touchdown. 

An NFL record he wasn't the happiest to own. 

It was in Week 10 of his third season that he finally caught a touchdown pass. 

“It was just a trust thing. I had to earn trust day by day. It wasn’t an easy road. I had a lot of new quarterbacks, so there was a lot of miscommunication or I messed something up, and I wasn’t able to be where I needed to be, so I just felt like I needed to lock in and understand where I needed to be exactly when I needed to be there. Just making tough catches in tough situations. Because the red zone is hard. It’s hard to score down there.”

Since then, he has been a touchdown threat. Last season he caught six touchdown passes — the most he's ever recorded dating back to his college days. 

With head coach Josh McDaniels, there is some familiarity, and Meyers is set to hit his prime while under his three-year deal. So, the Raiders appear to believe that the best is yet to come for the undrafted underdog.