NFC Notes: Brad Holmes, Caleb Williams, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Aside from being the consensus top overall pick for more than a year, 2024 first-round QB Caleb Williams has a plethora of weapons players in his situation rarely have. Williams is very confident about his ability to perform immediately and isn’t hiding from any expectations.

“What’s the reason to duck?” Williams said, via ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “It’s here. There’s no reason to duck. I’m here. Rome [Odunze] is here. Keenan Allen, the top-five defense that we had last year, special teams, all the new roles — whatever. We’re here. I’m excited. I know everybody’s excited. The Bears fans are excited from what I’ve heard and seen, and there’s no reason to duck. Attack it head first and go get it.”

“Obviously if there’s growing pains, you handle them. But that doesn’t mean that affects your greatness. There’s trials and tribulations that you go through. Why would I go somewhere, work so hard for so many years and then in every situation I go to believe I’m the best, and then I get here and I don’t believe that?”

Lions

The Lions decided to get aggressive and trade up in the draft when 2024 first-round CB Terrion Arnold slid farther than they expected. Detroit GM Brad Holmes expressed how well he felt day one of the draft went. 

“I don’t want to say speechless, but overly thrilled with how tonight went,” Holmes said, via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News. “All these drafts, you never know how it’s going to go. We knew it was an offensive-heavy draft. That’s what we did know. We didn’t quite know those defenders would get pushed to that point, especially a guy like Terrion, but we couldn’t be more ecstatic or thrilled with how it went.”

Packers

Packers VP of Player Personnel Jon-Eric Sullivan said second-round LB Edgerrin Cooper fits the modern linebacker prototype that they want to have on their defense next to LB Quay Walker.

“The inside ‘backer used to be a square, thick-necked come-down-hill, put-your-face-on-people-in-the-A-gap (guy),” he said via the Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. “Now, it’s what we’ve got. It’s Quay. It’s Cooper. It’s these guys that are 6-foot-2. They’re more linear. They’re long. They can run, play in space and do the things you’ve got to do to survive … Cooper, that’s one of the main things that attracted us to him is his speed is different. When he hits the gas and he’s running things down, there’s a ‘woah’ factor to that.”