Getty
Bears general manager Ryan Poles.
The Chicago Bears were curious enough on the first night of the 2025 draft to inquire about the possibility of trading up, according to general manager Ryan Poles.
The teams on the other end of the phone wanted a tad more compensation than Poles and head coach Ben Johnson were willing to offer, though.
“When we made those calls up,” Poles said after Round 1, admitting: “It took you out.”
The Bears wound up staying pat at No. 10, where they selected former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.
Ryan Poles on Trying to Trade Up in 2025 NFL Draft: ‘We Made Calls,’ But Were Happy With How it Fell
With two second-round selections (No. 39 and 41) and a third-rounder (No. 72 overall), Poles and company didn’t feel comfortable parting with draft capital, deciding instead to hold firm at No. 10, where they selected Loveland.
“We made phone calls up and back just to kind of see what the landscape was. Did it make sense for us or not?” Poles added. “At the end of the day, the way it fell, we felt really comfortable with how it worked out.”
“Ben was pushing for a lot of guys,” Bears senior director of player personnel Jeff King said, via Scott Bair of Marquee Sports Network. “Outside of the tight end specific, it didn’t come down to that. We stacked a bunch of players, he had opinions — obviously he had a high opinion of Colston as well — so we felt good about a couple of guys, because you have to there, but Colston ended up being the best pick for us.”
“We knew even going back to last year of what type of player Colston was,” King added. “And so we went through the full process, though. It wasn’t something where like it was earmarked from early on. But the more we spent time with him, the more we got to know him, he just felt like a really good fit for us.”
A Quick Look at Loveland vs. LaPorta
Loveland later revealed that Johnson told the TE his game reminded him of Sam LaPorta’s, the All-Pro tight end Johnson coached while with the Detroit Lions.
“Coach Johnson’s like, ‘Yeah, you remind me a lot of him. We can do a lot of things — obviously, we did a lot of things with LaPorta,’” Loveland said, per Bair. “And he’s like, ‘Yeah, I can see you doing a lot of those things as well.’
Both TEs emerged from Big Ten programs — LaPorta from Iowa and Loveland from Michigan.
LaPorta, standing at 6’3” and weighing 245 pounds, was known in college for his reliable hands, precise route-running and ability to find soft spots in zone coverage. His agility and body control made him a consistent target, especially in the middle of the field. In the NFL, he quickly became a playmaker for the Lions, setting franchise records for receptions, receiving yards and TDs by a TE his rookie season.
The 6-foot-6, 248-pound Loveland has a similar skill set. During his tenure at Michigan, he showcased exceptional athleticism, a large catch radius and the ability to create mismatches against defenders. His route-running versatility and reliable hands made him a favorite target regardless of who the QB was. Like LaPorta, his strengths lie in his ability to stretch the field vertically, as well as his competitiveness after the catch.
