Chicago Bears choose Michigan Tight End Colston Loveland with the tenth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Holding the tenth pick in the draft, the Chicago Bears had lots of options. Move down, choose an offensive player to shore up their o-line, or a defensive lineman to strengthen one of the weaker defenses in the league.
They chose a tight end to complement Cole Kmet. Ironically, Loveland wasn’t even the highest rated TE in the draft. That honor belonged to Penn State’s Tyler Warren. “Tyler is going to be a great player,” stated the team’s Senior Director of Player Personnel, Jeff King. “But for us we just felt that the alignment from coaching, scouting, everybody who touched both players, that he was the best fit for us. We’re not comparing plyers, both those guys are going to have really good careers, but Colston was the best fit for us.”
Only time will tell if the Bears chose wisely. Loveland’s 117 receptions, 1466 receiving yards, and 11 touchdowns over three years are a tad more than what Warren accomplished in his final season – 104 / 1233 / 8.
Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles in his opening remarks to the media after the conclusion of the first round said, “He’s someone that we’re really excited about, both the coaching staff and the front office coming together and identifying a guy that we really liked, that we thought had a dynamic skillset. He can create mismatches. More importantly, too, in terms of our offense, he can really beef up our 12 personnel (one running back, two tight ends). He’s someone who pairs well with (tight end) Cole (Kmet), along with our other playmakers, and really creates headaches for a defense to go against. Love how he competes, his fire. This kid, he is physical, he is tough. He plays the game the right way. When you watch the tape, there’s an energy level that comes with him. You can see it throughout the game, and it’s infectious to other guys. What stands out? Obviously, the dynamic skillset to separate, but also, when you really study him in the run game, the blocking is way better than I think people realize. Over the last two years, studying him – we did our due diligence with the quarterbacks last year, we watched (Vikings QB and former Michigan QB) J.J. (McCarthy), this kid (Loveland) stood out as just a different type of player. I know that he is going to add a ton of value to our offense and our entire team.”
Poles had no qualms about selecting a tight end with the tenth pick. “One, for where he is, the dynamic skill set that he has as a receiver, paired with the run-blocking, it’s not just one part of his game, it’s the complete, in totality, of what he can do for us. When you turn on the tape, there are plays being made constantly. He’s a guy that you can feel confident going to in critical situations. Now, we have a lot of them. That, again, puts a stress on a defense.”
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports gave the team an “A” for the selection. He wrote, “I love this pick for the Bears. He was my top tight end. He was the best pass catcher of the tight ends. He will fit perfectly into the Ben Johnson offense.”
“His ability to play in-line and be a plus-level run blocker, plus his versatility in terms of alignment in the passing game, makes Loveland an ideal player in the Bears’ offense. As Chicago looks to build around quarterback Caleb Williams, the offense now has Loveland, Cole Kmet, Rome Odunze and DJ Moore. That collection of talent for Johnson and Williams to work with is exciting.”
– Matt Miller, ESPN
King also talked about Loveland’s style of play. “I love the versatility; we love the versatility. The ability to play in 12 but be able to separate in the passing game. I think you saw at Michigan he had to. Block inline, do a lot of different things, wear different hats. From that standpoint the versatility, the match-up issues that you can cause in complement of Cole (TE Kmet). Let’s not forget that Cole is going to be a big part of our offense as well. Having those two guys gives us an element of being in 11, bring in 12 and doing a lot of different things. That was intriguing.”
Loveland was asked about playing with Kmet. “Nowadays,” he said, “like this time, you see a lot of teams looking to get two well-rounded tight ends that can do a lot, put defenses in a bind. I’m super stoked to get in there, learn from him. Obviously he’s been doing it for a while, really good at it. I’m excited. I think he can be a mentor for me. Kind of get in there, attack. Like you said, 12-personnel, two tight ends that can do everything, messes with the defense. Nickel, base, what are we going to play? Excited to get out there and meet all the guys and get rolling.”
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tags: Chicago Bears, 2025 NFL Draft, Colston Loveland, Ryan Poles
