Williams, Bennett excited they'll again be teammates

First-round pick Chris Williams and third-round wide receiver Earl Bennett were teammates the last three years at Vanderbilt. When Bennett was drafted (70th overall) at about 9:30 a.m. Sunday, he couldn't wait to tell Williams, who was still asleep, that they were going to remain teammates.

"It's very nice because me and Chris are very good friends," Bennett said. "I called and told him. He was still in bed. I don't know what he was doing (Saturday) night, but he said, 'Congratulations, let's get ready to head to Chicago to win the Super Bowl.'

"That is our main focus right now, coming up there and helping them win some games."

Williams said Bennett brings a lot to the table.

"He catches everything," Williams said. "That's what you want in a receiver, and he's going to work hard, and he won't be in any trouble or anything. He's a smart guy, too."

But an inexperienced traveler, according to Williams, who got an amusing call from Bennett on his cell phone a couple weeks ago while both were criss-crossing the country visiting NFL teams.

"Earl was on a team visit," Williams said, "and he calls me and says, 'Hey, Chris, when you change planes, do you have to go get your bags?' I'm like, 'No, Earl, they're going to change the bags for you.' "

Welcome aboard: The Bears announced the signing of 10 undrafted rookie free agents Monday, including Southern Illinois quarterback Nick Hill and St. Xavier kicker Shane Longest.

Also signed were offensive tackle Cody Balogh of Montana, cornerback Trey Brown of UCLA, defensive ends Joe Clermond of Pittsburgh and Nick Osborn of San Diego State, nose tackle David Faaeteete of Oregon, wide receiver Curtis Hamilton of Western Kentucky, quarterback Caleb Hanie of Colorado State and defensive back Leslie Majors of Indiana

The 6-2½, 214-pound Hill, who began his college career at Western Kentucky on a basketball scholarship, started all 27 games in his final two seasons at Southern, throwing 43 touchdown passes and just 11 interceptions. The left-hander threw for 3,175 yards last season while completing 71.5 percent of his passes (258 of 361).

Longest, who also played baseball at St. Xavier, hit 42 of 55 FG attempts over the past two seasons, punted for a 43.2-yard average and had 20 touchbacks on 87 kickoffs. As a junior he was 7-for-7 on FG tries from 40-49 yards.

It's go time: Rookie minicamp is this weekend with single practices Friday, Saturday and Sunday, which are not open to the public.

The full-team minicamp is Friday, May 30, through Sunday, June 1. Training camp at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais will begin July 23. Those practices are open to the public.