NFC Notes: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Caleb Williams, Bears, Lions, Packers

Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles refused to publically announce they plan on taking Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick but said they know how they’re going to proceed at the top spot. 

“So unfortunately, it’s one of those things I think everyone’s got to tune in on Thursday to watch and figure out,” Poles said, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports. “But I feel really good about our process and where we are and where we’re headed. So we know what we’re going to do but everyone is going to have to wait until Thursday.”

Poles called Williams a “really intelligent guy” and is a quarterback who is focused on being a true competitor. 

“Really intelligent guy. Came across as a really good teammate, easy to talk to, down to earth,” Poles said. “We’ve talked through this process about the whole Hollywood thing. He’s all ball, wants to work, wants to get better, wants to win as a team. That’s the No. 1 thing for him on top of being successful. I think the biggest thing is: Does he fit in our culture and what we’re trying to do. And all signs were that he does, so that was positive.”

As for Williams’ top 30 visit with the organization, Poles feels they got a confirmation on all the information they’ve received thus far. 

“I think it just confirmed a lot of information that we got,” Poles said. “You know, there’s a kind of test to where his football understanding is. That part, getting him with some of our players. That’s important to us. We’re in a really good place with our culture in our locker room. As much as I can I want those guys a part of the process of building this team. I trust their feedback, and I think that chemistry is really important, so that’s why we did that.”

Lions

Lions WR Amon-Ra St. Brown and QB Jared Goff were both in line for new contracts after leading the franchise turnaround in the last few seasons. On Wednesday, St. Brown signed a new four-year, $120 million deal with Detroit. When previously asked about an extension he instead discussed how vital Goff is to the organization.

“He’s accurate, he commands the offense, all the stuff you want in a quarterback,” St. Brown said, via RG3 and The Ones podcast. “When you look at the Detroit Lions’ history, I mean, when’s the last time we went this deep in the playoffs, won this many games? When we first got there, like I said, we only won three games. So to see what he’s done with this Detroit football team from two years, three years ago to now; he’s winning games.”

“I think winning is a big part of this sport, especially for a quarterback. So that’s what he’s doing. He’s winning games. And you go look at his stats too, they’re up there with some of the best quarterbacks in this league. He’s worth every dollar that he gets and I can’t wait for him to get paid and be a part of his future for a very long time.”

Packers

The Packers currently hold a league-most 11 picks in the upcoming draft. Despite having plenty to choose from, Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst isn’t ruling out the possibility of adding more.

“With more at-bats, you have more chances for hits,” Gutekunst said, via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. “There’s never enough. I don’t ever subscribe to the thought process, ‘Hey, we’ve got a pretty good team. These guys might not have a chance to make the team.’ I’ve talked a lot about competition in every room and how much that accelerates the growth of your football team.”

“I think that’s the best way for your team to move forward. To me, there’s just never enough. You never have enough ammunition to build your room so there’s significant competition in every room. We have 11 right now. I’d love to end up with 13, 14 or more. I would never shy away from that.”

• Gutekunst on new OT Andre Dillard: “First-round pick coming out, very talented. … We’ve lost some offensive line depth the last couple months. It’s a chance to bring in another guy to compete in that room.” (Wes Hodkiewicz)
• Packers K Anders Carlson will have to earn the starting job against K Greg Joseph: “Competition. That position is obviously critical to us attaining our goals.” (Rob Demovsky)