Lions' Amon-Ra St. Brown addresses facing Caleb Williams in NFL

Former USC wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, who signed a record-breaking deal with the Lions on Wednesday, understood long ago that the Chicago Bears would make fellow Trojan Caleb Williams the first pick of the 2024 NFL Draft, which they did.

"I mean, I’m not going to like him when we’re playing the Bears," St. Brown told Scott Thompson of Fox News Digital about Williams becoming a rival. "But, other than that, I’m a fan."

While Detroit is expected to be a legitimate Super Bowl contender coming off an appearance in the NFC Championship Game, the Bears hit somewhat of a franchise reset by trading quarterback Justin Fields to the Pittsburgh Steelers in March. It's assumed Chicago knew even before that transaction was made that the club would replace Fields with Williams on Thursday.

"No bitterness in it, man," St. Brown told Thompson about Williams going to the Bears. "All sweet." 

Concerns about Williams' personality and play caused numerous analysts, coaches and scouts to say this spring that they'd draft LSU's Jayden Daniels first overall. St. Brown didn't directly address such takes but seemed to disagree with those individuals.

"He’s an awesome dude," St. Brown said about Williams. "Great guy, great family. His parents did an amazing job. So, I’m excited for him no matter where he goes, even if it’s the Chicago Bears."

As of Thursday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Williams as the betting favorite at +250 odds to win the Offensive Rookie of the Year Award for the 2024 season. St. Brown suggested he expects Williams to thrive at the highest level beginning in Week 1. 

"I love his game," St. Brown added about Williams. "He’s really talented. He’s a special quarterback. I feel like he’s able to do things on the field a lot of players wish they could do at such a young age. So, I can’t wait to see him throw in this league and become the player he really wants to become. Playing against him is not gonna be fun, but after the game, before the game, we’ll be cool."