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Bears' Colston Loveland making good on top-10 draft status through Week 14

Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland is developing into a star in real-time.
Bryan Perez|
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The NFL season is a long and winding road. Narratives can change in an instant, and in the case of Chicago Bears' rookie Colston Loveland, he's gone from potential first-round bust to ascending superstar in a matter of weeks.

Remember, it wasn't long ago that Colts rookie Tyler Warren was dominating the weekly box scores and first-round recaps. Chatter on social media about the Bears taking the wrong tight end at No. 10 overall dominated the conversation.

Yet, all that feels like ancient history now.

MORE: PFF Grades are in -- Here's who led the Bears on offense against the Packers in Week 14

Loveland has scored four touchdowns and has a 100-yard receiving game on his resume over the last six weeks, and is now on a rocket ship headed toward top-young-tight-end status.

In fact, he was recently rated the sixth-best rookie in the NFL through Week 14.

MORE: Bears tumble slightly in ESPN's Week 15 NFL Power Rankings after loss to Packers

"The 10th overall pick is up to 35 catches for 435 yards, four touchdowns and 21 first downs this season," Pro Football Focus's Lauren Gray wrote. "He slots into the top 10 at the position in PFF receiving grade (77.7) and passer rating when targeted (125.8). Loveland is also contributing in the run game, sporting a 68.4 PFF run-blocking grade (tied for third best among rookie tight ends).

"Loveland made two third-down catches against Green Bay, including his touchdown. He’s been targeted 17 times on conversion downs this season (tied for 12th most) and has brought in 15 of those passes for 146 yards and 10 first downs. Three of his four scores have come on late downs, and he ranks first in conversion down threat rate (22.4%) and PFF receiving grade (82.2) on such plays."

Indeed, Loveland has evolved into Caleb Williams' favorite target on critical down-and-distance plays, and with the continuing development of Rome Odunze and fellow rookie Luther Burden III, Ben Johnson's play-calling bag of tricks will be overflowing for years to come.

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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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