Bears Reveal What Their Scouts Told Ryan Poles About Colston Loveland

Ryan Poles is the general manager. That means the final decision on every draft pick made by the Chicago Bears is his. Yes, head coach Ben Johnson has a strong voice in that process for obvious reasons. However, so do the scouts. There is a reason the Bears hire these men. They're tasked with scouring the entire country, visiting hundreds of college campuses, trying to find the best possible talent for this organization. Their evaluations are crucial to helping Poles understand who they should prioritize in the draft.

We all know what happened in the 1st round. Chicago stayed put at #10 overall, taking Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. It was a slight surprise at the time, both because tight end isn't considered a "premium" position and because many felt Penn State's Tyler Warren was the more complete player. Why Loveland? The Bears released their latest episode of 1920 Football Drive, which covered the draft. In it, their scouts gave Poles a detailed breakdown of the tight end. It's easy to see why the decision was an easy one.

Ryan Poles knew Loveland had the talent, but especially the character.

The scouts kept coming back to that. Everything about the Wolverines star's mental makeup said he is made for the NFL. He's a tremendous leader, puts in the work in practice, and doesn't skimp on the details. It isn't hard to see why his college coaches loved him just as much as his quarterbacks did. Ryan Poles also got a significant vote of confidence from Johnson. He'd coached Sam LaPorta in Detroit and saw many of the same qualities. The Bears needed more players with that kind of superstar potential. Sometimes, the smart thing to do is to ignore positional value and take the great talent. That is what the Bears GM did. It was plainly evident that Loveland was overjoyed to get drafted by Chicago. This could be a pick that ends up changing the team's fortunes.