The Chicago Bears added a playmaker in tight end Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, which came as a bit of a surprise. Loveland, one of the top tight ends in this year's class, came at a selection when many believed that Chicago could be targeting a player in the trenches or a running back.
New head coach Ben Johnson gets a shiny new weapon to utilize in his offense in Loveland, a highly-regarded receiving threat who set a school record at tight end for the Michigan Wolverines with 56 receptions last season.
Loveland will create a dynamic duo alongside veteran Cole Kmet, and the two will just be more receiving threats for quarterback Caleb Williams. After the draft, Johnson explained why Loveland was their target at the 10th overall pick, crediting him as a person and player.
"With Colston it starts more with the person than the player," Johnson said. "I love the tape, but when you get to know him as a man, it's really intriguing. It's who we want to be going forward. He stands for high football character and IQ. When we went to Michigan everyone was raving about him, you could tell he was very well respected. Going from Idaho to the big stage, he didn't bat an eye.
"I do see a lot of comparisons to LaPorta, but that's not just on the field, that's off the field as well. The stage was never too bright for LaPorta, and I felt that same thing with Colston the first time I met him. He doesn't bat an eye, he performs at a high level, and where we are going in this organization, we need guys who are going to rise up to the occasion and he's going to do that for us."
Getting both an outstanding player and a great person off the field shows that this Bears regime is making character an important trait needed for the future. Loveland is going to have quite the opportunity to make an impact as a rookie, and Johnson will have no problem exploiting matchups for him in this new-look Bears offense.
