How Chicago Bears threw NFL Draft into tailspin with Colston Loveland pick (2025)

The Chicago Bears raised plenty of eyebrows when they selected Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick. However, teams around the league seemed to be hot on the former Michigan star’s tail.

While Tyler Warren was the talk of the 2025 tight end class, Loveland ended up being the first tight end selected. Now, he is expected to be a crucial offensive chess piece for new head coach Ben Johnson.

Before the Bears turned their card in, there was plenty of buzz about franchises trading up the board. But as soon as Chicago drafted Loveland, that noise abruptly faded, via Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. While he didn’t say it was because Loveland was those franchise’s top targets, simply that the tight end coming off the board completely changed countless draft plans.

“Before the draft I’m starting to hear that a couple teams are really actively trying to trade up. I heard the Texans were and I heard the Broncos were,” Rapoport said. “The Bears take Colston Loveland at No. 10 and a bunch of calls stopped.”

UntitledMichigan Wolverines tight end Colston Loveland (18) against the Washington Huskies during the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Loveland won the Bears over by his playmaking ability. While he was in a battle with Warren for TE1 duties, no one was doubting Loveland’s ability to make plays with the ball in space. After helping Sam LaPorta join the NFL’s elites with the Detroit Lions, Johnson now has his next tight end project to work with.

Over his three years at Michigan, Loveland caught 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns. He won a national championship with the Wolverines in 2023, setting a new career-high in yardage with 649. Loveland then ended his time at Michigan by setting new career-highs in receptions (56) and touchdowns (five) while being named Second-team All-American.

While the Bears already have Cole Kmet on their roster, Johnson was known to run plenty of 12 personnel with the Lions. Furthermore, each tight end fills a different role. Kmet will be a bruiser, putting in work as a blocker. Then in short yardage and red zone opportunities, the tight end will make his bag. Keenan Allen’s likely departure opens up a team-leading seven touchdown grabs. Kmet should take over that big-bodied role in scoring opportunities.

Loveland should be a menace in the red zone as well, but with his athleticism, the Bears will look to get him the ball in open space. While Kmet operates in the short game, Loveland will be an intermediate option . With DJ Moore and Rome Odunze on the outside, that’s a difficult matchup for most defenses to face.

The tight end is a big play waiting to happen, which is exactly why Chicago was so adamant about selecting him at No. 10. There’s no guarantee that the Texans, Broncos or any other team were specifically trying to trade up for Loveland. But it’s telling that trade talks stopped when he came off the board.

But it’s one thing to draft a player and another to fully acclimate them into your offense. Especially as a rookie tight end playing for a first-year head coach in a new city. Regardless, the Bears and Johnson remain confident that sooner rather than later, Loveland will be a focal point of the offense. Those teams trying to trade up will just have to daydream.