NFL Combine Wednesday: NFC North News, Meetings with Offensive Linemen and Tight Ends

Wednesday at the 2015 NFL Scouting Combine featured a variety of storylines, and there were items to take away for each team in the NFC North. Beyond that, the bulk of the offensive linemen and tight ends met with the media, and we'll have quotes and comments from several members of the draft class in the coming days.

Here are the big items we took away from the press conferences and discussions on the first day of media availability.

Packers

We got a little bit of insight on Mike Solari, the Packers' new assistant offensive line coach, from San Francisco 49ers GM Trent Baalke. He was gushing over Solari:

A heck of a football coach. He's an awfully good football coach. Great technician, great relationship with the players, works hard. I can say enough about Coach Solari.

Bears

The Bears' head coach, John Fox, confirmed that the team will be lining up in a base 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. He also indicated that Jared Allen will be playing outside linebacker when workouts begin.

Lions

It's going to be really tough for the Lions to sign Ndamukong Suh, but they're going to try like crazy. GM Martin Mayhew spoke on Wednesday and said the team is prepared financially to invest a long-term deal in Suh. Furthermore, he said that the team might consider using the franchise tag on Suh if they cannot come to a long-term deal before free agency; however, he said it was "not a no-brainer" move.

Vikings

GM Rick Spielman held a press conference this afternoon and discussed Adrian Peterson at length. He indicated that the Vikings' ownership group, front office, and coaching staff all hope that Peterson will be able to return to the Vikings in 2015.

Spielman also briefly discussed the acquisition and emergence of wideout Charles Johnson, the former Packers draft pick, and says he is "very excited" to see Johnson's continued development.

Offensive Linemen

Along the offensive line, APC talked to a few intriguing prospects. Among them were Colorado State's Ty Sambrailo, who is currently projected as a day-two pick and has recently been connected to the Packers. A few other impressive players in media interviews were Alabama's Austin Shepherd (check out his charity here) and Utah's Jeremiah Poutasi, both possible third-day picks.

Tight Ends

Maxx Williams was definitely the star of the tight end class in media days, getting by far the biggest following for his press availability. He compared himself to Jason Witten in terms of his overall ability and versatility both blocking and receiving.

Also drawing crowds (as expected) were Clive Walford of Miami and Jesse James from Penn State. The big news on the measurement front was Jean Sifrin from Massachusetts, who measured in with the biggest hands at the Combine so far - 11 inches.