The Chicago Bears had only drafted a tight end in the 1st round twice in their history. Mike Ditka was the first. He arrived in 1961, immediately set the NFL record for receiving yards by a tight end in a season and helped them win the 1963 championship. Then Greg Olsen arrived in 2007. He blossomed in 2010 and was the catalyst for their, to date, last playoff victory. Finally, 18 years later, a third name joined those ranks when the Bears selected Colston Loveland 10th overall in the 2025 draft.
It was a surprise. Almost everybody had expected the Bears to focus on other positions of need, like running back or pass rusher. It came down to head coach Ben Johnson and GM Ryan Poles seeing Loveland as a rare talent. They saw star potential in the young man. His mixture of size, speed, and route-running was hard to find. Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated reached out to a Big Ten head coach who faced Loveland. The man made it abundantly clear that the NFL should ignore the tight end at its own peril.
“He is a very productive, athletic tight end that can play in the run game and be a passing threat. Excellent hands and a true threat down the middle of the field. I expect them to use him on all three downs and be a potential outstanding red zone threat.” —Big Ten head coach
Colston Loveland landed in the exact hands nobody wanted.
Remember, the tight end spent his entire college career at Michigan, playing under a coaching staff known for its conservative nature. They wanted to run the ball and play great defense. That relegated Colston Loveland to a support role, blocking frequently and serving as a target on play action. It was a big reason his production was never anything special. Now he ends up with a head coach who is notorious for weaponizing the tight end position like few others can. Ben Johnson turned Sam LaPorta into a star with the Detroit Lions. He knows exactly how to use tight ends to their fullest potential, something Loveland never got to experience in college. Fans should probably not read too much into his stats from those years. They don't properly project what is coming.
