The Chicago Bears faced a tricky situation with the 10th overall pick in the 1st round. Ashton Jeanty was off the board. Three offensive tackles had already been taken. The best defensive tackle was gone. Edge rusher options were interesting but appeared flawed. They could go for the next-best running back. However, the safest option on the board looked like tight end, specifically Tyler Warren from Penn State. So it surprised many when they opted for Colston Loveland instead.
Draft experts viewed the Michigan standout as less well-rounded than Warren. For one, he isn’t as good of a blocker. However, the reactions appear to have been different inside the NFL itself. Ian Rapoport reported there was a lot of trade buzz among teams trying to get into the top 10. Buzz that died once Chicago drafted Loveland. Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic decided to reach out to various contacts around the league to gauge the reaction.
It turns out the Bears may have done better than we thought.
Minutes after the Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft, an offensive assistant coach on another team sent a text.
“We loved him.”
A tight end who had 582 yards receiving last season as the 10th pick in the draft? It might have confused some who didn’t see value in the pick, or thought the more heralded Tyler Warren should’ve been the tight end if the Bears went that direction.
Around the league, though? It is clear that Loveland has, well, a lot of love.
“He’s a beast,” said one scout on an opposing team.
“Mismatch player,” said another personnel evaluator. “Similar to (Sam) LaPorta.”
Colston Loveland does have one thing Warren doesn’t: upside.
It isn’t an accident that some insiders mentioned Travis Kelce when discussing the Bears’ newest addition. In terms of speed, route-running, and pass-catching prowess, he leads the 2025 class in all categories. Colston Loveland is a legitimate weapon that gives defensive coordinators nightmares. Putting him in the hands of Ben Johnson, who just got done turning Sam LaPorta into a star, is exciting. There is no shortage of ways Loveland will be used. When talking about chess pieces on offense, he is the perfect example. Expect him to line up everywhere, finding matchups or creating confusion. It has been a long time since the Bears had a tight end like that. Unfortunately, they traded the last one. Maybe this time they’ll be smarter about it.
If Loveland can be a successful go-to guy on short yardage situations like Kelce, then he will be well-worth the 10th selection in the Draft. He doesn’t have to produce 1000 yards or get 10 receiving TDs. He just has to be a clutch performer when the team needs it.
Sam LaPorta didn’t put up very big numbers last year Erik. You keep hyping this kid up and he doesn’t put up LaPorta rookie numbers or Bowers rookie numbers, the wolves are gonna eat you alive! A lot of mouths to feed this year.
Absolutely agree with @Barry’s last point. Warren doesn’t need to fail for Loveland to succeed. Frankly, Warren, Loveland, and Fannin could all have great careers, or not. We’ll see how it all shakes out.
“Praise from opposing NFL scouts” is good for a playoff berth, at least. Right? I mean, once you get enough praise you get an automatic playoff slot..that’s how the league works!
No? Wait, so all this praise doesn’t change the team’s record? Here I thought, based on these post-draft articles, that the Bears were just a few short compliments away from being crowned the champs of the next Super Bowl…
@barry I agree. They had me until they said Warren doesn’t have any upside. Lol.