Friday was the first time the majority of the rookies had experienced Chicago, or any city of its size. For Bears first-round draft pick Colston Loveland, who grew up in Gooding, Idaho, the size of Lake Michigan caught him off guard.
"It was awesome," Loveland said. "The boat tour was super cool. The water, I mean, it looks like an ocean. All the people we were seeing were super nice. I feel like all of us rookies had a good time and it was good team bonding for sure."
Linebacker Power Echols, a North Carolina product and Charlotte native, was amazed by the size of Chicago's skyline.
"It's big and beautiful," Echols said. "I haven't seen a city this big — I'm from Charlotte and it's not this big at all. It's like a mini-New York in the Midwest. The lake, the water is beautiful. The skyline we were able to see driving in here and then out on the water — I'm very blessed to be here to be able to see this."