Top picks Williams, Odunze practice for first time as Bears

Williams felt comfortable entering rookie minicamp because the Bears had given him a head start learning their offense at his top-30 visit in early April.

“I feel pretty good right now,” Williams said. “The top-30 was huge. [They] gave me a bunch of notes, ideas of how the offense is, verbiage, drops, cadence and all the things that really matter—break from the huddle, getting into the huddle, being able to communicate and how those things go.”

The Bears also helped Williams prepare by collaborating with his private quarterback coach, Will Hewlitt.

“Will Hewlitt’s been awesome in this whole process,” Eberflus said. “Been able to have great conversations with him. He gets it. He’s trained a lot of guys. He’s elite at what he does. It was a pleasure to work with him. He was working on our stuff a little bit—cadence and those types of things and the footwork that we want. That’s been a good process for us.”

While Williams acknowledged Friday that he’s still learning everyone’s names at Halas Hall, he hopes to gain a firm enough grasp of the playbook that he can assist his young teammates digest the offense.

Asked what he hopes to accomplish at the rookie minicamp, the former USC star said: “Diving into the playbook, getting to a point where there’s certain things that I can teach some of the guys that they’re not understanding that I may understand. Being able to teach is always big because it’s also another way for you to learn. It also shows you how much that you know.”

The Bears have carefully crafted a plan to develop Williams, with Eberflus leaning on offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, quarterbacks coach Kerry Joseph and passing game coordinator Thomas Brown. Waldron and Joseph helped veteran quarterback Geno Smith rejuvenate his career with the Seahawks, while Brown worked with quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in last year’s draft, with the Panthers.

Eberflus also consulted with fellow coaches he’s friendly with throughout the league, with his top takeaway being the importance of establishing a strong foundation.

“I think Shane and the offensive staff have done an outstanding job of that thus far,” Eberflus said, “putting that foundation in and making sure that it’s likable, learnable and it can get executed. And we’re excited about beginning that process.”