Bear Digest

Grading the Chicago Bears' pick of TE Colston Loveland in first round of 2025 NFL Draft

The Chicago Bears' pick is in, and former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. Here's our grade for the pick.

Bryan Perez

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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With the 10th pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears selected former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

The smoke around the Bears targeting a tight end in the first round turned into a blazing inferno on draft night, snagging the elite pass-catching prospect who will provide coach Ben Johnson with a Sam LaPorta-type offensive weapon in the passing game.

Loveland appeared in 10 games for the Wolverines in 2024, totaling 56 catches for 582 yards and five touchdowns. His refined route-running traits and explosive second-level speed will give Caleb Williams another mismatch alongside DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet.

Loveland will accomplish Johnson's biggest goal on offense: making the same things look different, and different things look the same. Despite former Penn State tight end Tyler Warren topping the position's rankings throughout draft season, it's Loveland who offers more juice and play-calling options for Johnson on passing downs.

While the pick certainly qualifies as a surprise, Loveland will quickly become a Bears fan favorite as a walking mismatch against opposing NFC North defenses.

Overall, the Chicago Bears earn a solid B for this pick. It's not because Colston Loveland isn't an 'A' prospect, but the needs at left tackle and running back will be much harder to fill in the second round than they were in the first.

Sure, the top three offensive tackles were off the board at No. 10, but GM Ryan Poles may have been better served trading down and targeting a player like Omarion Hampton rather than Loveland, who enters a competition for reps with Cole Kmet (regardless of the different formations the Bears will deploy).

Get ready for a lot of "Caleb Williams to Colston Loveland" calls this season.

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Bryan Perez
BRYAN PEREZ

Bryan Perez founded and operated Bears Talk, a Chicago sports blog. Prior to that, he covered the Bears for USA Today’s Bears Wire and NBC Sports Chicago. In addition to his Chicago Bears coverage, Perez is a respected member of NFL Draft media and was a past winner of The Huddle's Mock Draft competition. Bryan's past life includes time as a Northeast scout for the CFL's Ottawa Redblacks.

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