NFC Notes: Bears, Lions, Jalen Carter, Packers

Bears

Bears HC Matt Eberflus said during a recent interview that linebackers T.J. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds will be longtime contributors to Chicago’s defense.

“A guy like T.J. and a guy like Tre, those guys are young,” Eberflus said, via The Athletic. “We’re excited about where they are. And they’ve produced in the league, so it’s a known commodity. Those guys are players in this league.”

“Where we thought the draft was this year … I thought that was a great move to take those guys (Edmunds, Edwards) where we got them,” Eberflus added. “Those guys are going to be valuable assets for our team for a long time.”

• The Bears met with TCU DE Dylan Horton following his pro day. (Tony Pauline)
• The Bears will host Arizona State RB Xazavian Valladay for a visit. (Daniel Greenberg)

Lions

Lions GM Brad Holmes spoke about what the team could look to add during the draft after it was reported that they would host Georgia DT Jalen Carter. 

“Honestly, you’ve heard me preach intangibles since Day 1, and I’m a firm believer still that intangibles are the separators of success,” Holmes said, via Dave Birkett of Detroit Free Press. “You look at an Amon-Ra St. Brown, he’s a talented player, but his intangibles are as good as it gets and that’s why he has the success that he has. And there’s countless other players I could name to rattle off, but talent is one thing while the intangible piece, the character piece, are components. But it doesn’t make up the whole picture and the totality of the evaluation.”

“Obviously, (they have) very talented prospects, but I wasn’t there just to see one guy,” Holmes said of Georgia. “There were multiple players that it was good to get up close on, get an eye. Obviously, I saw them live when they played Texas early in the season, but just to get a refresh on those guys was good to get.”

• Appalachian State OLB Nick Hampton met with the Lions at his pro day. (Tony Pauline)
• Florida G O’Cyrus Torrence will take a top 30 visit with the Lions. (Tony Pauline)

Packers

While the Packers haven’t officially closed the door on re-signing K Mason Crosby, GM Brian Gutekunst made it seem unlikely. 

“We’ll see, right?” Gutekunst said when asked who will be his kicker next season, via PackersWire.com. “That’s to be determined.”

As for Crosby, Gutekunst said he would “never say never.”

“We would never close the door. We’ll see where that goes,” Gutekunst said. “He had a good year this past year. We’re limited a little bit financially, but would never say never.”

• Florida State S Jammie Robinson has a top 30 visit scheduled with the Packers. (Tony Pauline)
• Minnesota S Jordan Howden also has a top 30 visit scheduled with Green Bay. (Ryan Fowler)
• Appalachian State OLB Nick Hampton did extra work with the Packers after his pro day, and their position coaches also ran his workout. (Tony Pauline)