Plenty of people were excited to hear that the Chicago Bears were taking Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. It meant Caleb Williams was getting another legitimate weapon in the passing game. His mixture of size, hands, and route-running would create a matchup nightmare for defenses. GM Ryan Poles and his scouts were thrilled with how the board fell. In fact, they were probably relieved since a report surfaced later that other teams were trying to trade up to snag Loveland. Yet nobody seemed more jacked up about the outcome than Ben Johnson.
The Bears head coach clicked with the tight end from the moment they met. Further tape evaluation only cemented the feeling that this young man was perfect for Johnson’s offense. If you need proof of how excited the head coach was when the pick went in, the Bears provided video of the phone call. Johnson showed emotion from the moment he spoke. Clearly, he already had visions of what Loveland would bring to the table. The two clearly have mutual respect for one another.
Ben Johnson knows his tight ends.
He has coached the position for years. It started at Boston College in 2011 and continued with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions. He was in Detroit when they drafted T.J. Hockenson and Sam LaPorta. The latter gave the coach full credit for pushing to draft him in 2023. Ben Johnson knew what to look for and saw it in Loveland. This is a situation where you have every reason to trust the head coach. If he thinks the Wolverines standout can be a star, don’t question it. The kid is drawing comparisons to LaPorta and Greg Olsen. If Johnson’s offense mirrors what he ran in Detroit, people will look back on this pick with admiration. What is even crazier is they aren’t done yet.
