Ian Rapoport Applauds Chicago Bears' Discipline On Pivotal Draft Pick

The Chicago Bears aren't always known for doing things the right way. Dysfunction has been part of their legacy over the past 30 years way too often. Even during the tenure of GM Ryan Poles, they haven't been able to escape drama. There was the awkward tension between Justin Fields and his coaches in 2022 and 2023. Last year, it was the constant stream of blunders by Matt Eberflus late in games, along with Shane Waldron's miserable coordination of the offense. Poles drew plenty of criticism for these disasters, leading many to believe he's incompetent. However, such thoughts change around draft time.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network dug deep into what happened with the Bears during the 2025 draft. He discovered the Bears were intentional in their approach to the 10th overall pick. Their interest in Michigan tight end Colston Loveland became clear early in the evaluation process. There was one problem. Lots of other teams loved him, too. If they let on that they liked him, there was a real possibility someone would jump up the board to snipe him. So Poles and his front office enacted a strict plan of misdirection, using every tactic to throw other teams off their scent.

Rapoport applauded them on the Marquee Sports Network because it worked beautifully.

The Chicago Bears had teams think Loveland would go later.

Rapoport had said several teams were trying to prepare moves up into the middle of the 1st round. They no doubt felt Loveland would go there and had good reasons. Penn State tight end Tyler Warren went 14th to the Indianapolis Colts. It is reasonable to assume those teams were looking for a spot ahead of that one. The trade calls completely vanished when the Chicago Bears scooped up Loveland at #10. One can imagine the groans of disappointment when that happened. Poles was blamed for many things, particularly the failure to nab a top running back in this draft. Still, his ability to avoid leaks and land the player everybody wanted should be applauded. While the man has faults, he runs a tight ship when necessary.