It was a frustrating first couple of months for Colston Loveland. He'd missed the end of Michigan's season with a shoulder injury. That carried over into the spring and summer as he needed surgery to fix it and rehab to recover it. That meant no practicing. It must've been tantamount to torture for a ferocious competitor like him. The Chicago Bears were not going to risk the long-term prospects of their prized 1st round pick by rushing him back to the field too soon. Thus, the wait continued. Everybody knew the start of training camp was the goal.
Things worked out well. The shoulder healed properly, and Loveland was declared ready for action when rookies reported on July 19th. Even so, the Bears didn't insert him into drills right away. They spent the first two days ramping him up, ensuring his conditioning was ready. On day three, the green light was lit. The media eagerly awaited as he stepped in for the first 7-on-7 drill. According to Adam Hoge and Adam Jahns of CHGO, the tight end gashed the defense immediately.
So much for easing into it.
Adam Hoge: Saturday was an important day for the Bears. We saw No. 10 overall pick Colston Loveland in team drills for the first time. It’s not good when it’s almost August and your top two draft picks have barely seen the field, but Loveland’s performance was encouraging. The moment he jumped into 7-on-7s with the first team, he immediately got open and caught a pass from Caleb Williams on the first rep. That’s how it’s supposed to look.
Adam Jahns: Loveland certainly looks the part, too. As we talked about with GM Ryan Poles, Loveland looks bigger and stronger compared to when he was drafted and still fully rehabbing his shoulder. The best part of Williams’ completion to Loveland was how it was on time and on third down. The ball was out quick and thrown with velocity. It was a promising play for both players.
Colston Loveland is living up to his billing.
A tight end doesn't accidentally become a top 10 pick in the NFL draft. Very few have enjoyed that honor in league history. Only nine have gone that high since 1980. Each of the previous five to do it became Pro Bowlers (Kellen Winslow II, Vernon Davis, Eric Ebron, T.J. Hockenson, and Kyle Pitts). That should give you an idea of how good Colston Loveland is. The NFL never drafts players at that position so high unless they are almost 100% certain the guy will be a star. Great players tend to make an impact immediately. Hearing Loveland is already doing it against a good defense in practice is outstanding news for what's coming.
