LAKE FOREST, Ill. – Veterans and rookies practiced together for the first time Monday as the Bears conducted the first of 13 scheduled organized team activity (OTA) workouts at Halas Hall.

With Bears veterans looking on in the background, rookie running back Matt Forte runs a play during Monday's OTA practice at Halas Hall.

“It was great,” first-round draft pick Chris Williams, a left tackle from Vanderbilt, said after the two-hour non-contact practice. “It’s kind of a surreal experience. It’s like you’re in it now. We’ve been to rookie stuff and it’s just been us, but the other guys were there for the first time.”

“It was awesome having an opportunity to be behind Mike Brown and learn from someone like that about the ins and outs of being a veteran and becoming a professional,” said rookie safety Craig Steltz, a fifth-round pick from LSU.

All 12 Bears draft picks returned to Halas Hall Monday for the first time since the rookie minicamp May 2-4.

“It’s critical to get them in,” said offensive coordinator Ron Turner. “Now we’ve just got to get them caught up. 

"We told them the first day that we’re not going to slow down for them. It’s not fair to the veterans to slow down and bring them along. We’ve got to go and they’ve got to catch up. That’s a big part of it, how quickly they can learn. If they can’t learn, they can’t play.”

Some of the rookies were concerned about the reception that they’d receive from their veteran teammates.

“I was a little anxious because you don’t know how they’re going to treat you,” Williams said. “You want to fit in the best you can. You don’t want to force it, though. They have to accept you, so you just come in and keep your mouth shut and play hard and earn their respect because they’re not going to just give it to you.”

Williams was relieved that veterans such as center Olin Kreutz, guard Robert Garza and tackle John Tait treated him well.

“Everybody was so helpful,” Williams said. “They were giving me tips and throwing stuff at me, like try this or try that. It was real helpful. I want to learn and I think they’re going to help me.”

A defensive backs meeting Monday marked the first extended period of time that Steltz has spent with veteran teammates.

“It was a little strange at first, a little awkward,” he said. “I just got here. You keep your mouth shut and you learn from those guys. They’ve been here for a couple years now. But they’re great guys. They’re willing to help you out with anything.”

Kyle Orton remembers that his first full-squad practice as a Bears rookie in 2005 was “nerve-wracking.” It was even tougher on fellow quarterback Rex Grossman, who joined the team in 2003 before Lovie Smith arrived and instituted a separate minicamp for rookies immediately after the draft.

“I got drafted on a Saturday and by that next Friday I was doing 7-on-7 drills against Mike Brown and Brian Urlacher,” Grossman said. “It was surreal. I got thrown into the fire right away. Your eyes are big and you’re excited and nervous."