NFC Notes: Luther Burden, Sam Howell, Bears, Lions, Vikings

Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles explained why the team couldn’t pass on WR Luther Burden in the second round.

“There was a lot of value there,” Poles said, via BearsWire.com. “He was at the top of our board. Really did a good job following the board, kind of letting it talk to us. It was clear he was the most talented player on the board. He’s an electric player, a playmaker, highly competitive, and the run-after-the-catch is special, probably the best in this class. When you add that to the group that we have, things get pretty exciting.”

Lions

Lions GM Brad Holmes drafted WR Isaac TeSlaa in the third round and noted that TeSlaa was his favorite wide receiver prospect.

“The pick that was probably the most questioned, I would say, was Isaac TeSlaa. I can say that he was my favorite wide receiver in this draft,” Holmes said. “I’m not saying he was the best wide receiver in the draft, but favorite wide receiver in the draft, yes.”

Vikings

• Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell commented on the team trading for QB Sam Howell: “Bringing in Sam Howell today was a great move by Kwesi to not have to lose any future picks and really kind of make a move within the draft and find the value enough to get Sam Howell to become a Minnesota Viking. [He’s a] guy we did a lot of work on a few years back and got a chance to play in a bunch of games for Washington before moving on to Seattle and really just another guy to acquire in his quarterback journey at a different point in time.” (VikingsWire)
• Vikings QB J.J. McCarthy is set to enter his first year as a starter after suffering a torn ACL last season. McCarthy said he’s up to 215 pounds after dipping to 180 pounds when he wasn’t able to work out, via Ben Goessling.