Bear Digest

Bears receive near-perfect 2025 draft grade from NFL.com for Colston Loveland selection

At this rate, Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles will have a 2025 NFL Draft report card he can be very proud of after acing the Colston Loveland pick.
Bryan Perez|
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Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams was one of the biggest winners of the 2025 NFL Draft after adding former Michigan tight end Colston Loveland to his arsenal of targets this season.

Loveland (6-foot-6, 248 pounds) fits the profile of how coach Ben Johnson wants to attack opposing defenses, offering a top-shelf blend of blocking and receiving traits that will force defenses to be honest. His ability to run routes like a big wide receiver while maintaining a quality run-blocking profile is what ultimately pushed him ahead of Penn State's Tyler Warren on Chicago's draft board, and the early grades for the pick have been fantastic.

NFL.com published their instant analysis for every pick in Round 1, and the Chicago Bears earned a near-perfect score: an A-.

"I expect head coach Ben Johnson to rely heavily on 12 personnel with Loveland and Cole Kmet at tight end, in the hopes it gives Caleb Williams a better chance to move the chains in Year 2," Chad Reuter wrote. "Loveland's quick feet and strong hands made him the Wolverines' top receiving threat until an injury sidelined him last fall. He's a physical player who can hold up as a blocker when asked to hit second-level targets."

Reuter noted that the Loveland vs. Warren debate will continue throughout their careers, and it's true that if Warren excels with the Indianapolis Colts -- who selected him 14th overall -- while Loveland struggles to adjust to the NFL game, Poles will have some big questions to answer.

For now, it's all positive, as it should be. Loveland is the first true pass-catching tight end the Chicago Bears have rostered since Greg Olson, and, if he reaches his full potential, could end up being the most productive the Bears have fielded in a long time.

Only two tight ends in Bears history have eclipsed 800 receiving yards in one season: Mike Ditka (three times) and Martellus Bennett (916 yards in 2014). It's been over a decade since Chicago's had a receiver at the position who's capable of topping a stat line like that, but with Loveland in place, they finally do.

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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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