Bears draft TE Colston Loveland: How he fits, pick grade and scouting intel

The Chicago Bears have added an offensive playmaker by selecting Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 pick in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft.

In 10 games with Michigan during an injury-riddled season, Loveland caught 56 passes for 582 yards and 5 touchdowns. He earned second-team All-America honors from the FWAA, was a finalist for the John Mackey Award (which goes to college football’s most outstanding tight end) and was a second-team All-Big Ten selection — finishing behind Penn State’s Tyler Warren in all of those honors. Against then-No. 1 Oregon in November, he had a season-high 112 yards on seven receptions.

Loveland was a key target on the Wolverines’ 2023 national championship team and an All-Big Ten selection (first team by coaches and second team by media). In three seasons, he totaled 117 receptions for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns. With an intriguing blend of size and speed (average of 14.5 yards per catch in his first two seasons), Loveland was the second-rated tight end on The Athletic draft expert Dane Brugler’s big board behind Warren.

A season after Brock Bowers’ record-breaking rookie year with the Raiders, teams are on the hunt for the next version of the Las Vegas tight end. Loveland becomes the fourth tight end drafted in the last 10 years in the top 16 picks of the draft — T.J. Hockenson (eighth in 2019 by the Minnesota Vikings), Kyle Pitts (fourth in 2021 by the Atlanta Falcons) and Bowers (13th in 2024).

‘The Beast’ breakdown

Loveland was ranked No. 11 in Dane Brugler’s top 300 big board. Here’s what Brugler had to say about him in his annual NFL draft guide:

“With his speed and ball skills, Loveland can line up anywhere on the field and win as a quarterback-friendly, multilevel receiving threat. He isn’t a liability as a one-pop, get-in-the-way blocker but will struggle to sustain or control NFL edge defenders. Overall, Loveland doesn’t have the skill set for full-time inline responsibilities, but his dynamic movements, natural hands and football awareness should make him one of the primary targets in an NFL offense. His tools and upside are reminiscent of Zach Ertz.”

Coaching intel

What an anonymous coach had to say about Loveland in Bruce Feldman’s mock draft:

“He is in that Evan Engram mold. He probably doesn’t have that kind of top-end speed and is more of a 4.65 40 guy, but he can stretch the field, and he’s probably a little more physical. He’s a smooth route runner, smoother than (Tyler) Warren, and tough enough.”

Nick Baumgardner grades the pick

We’ve been writing for months that the race for TE1 was much closer than many thought. Loveland, the star Michigan tight end, reminds me a lot of current Detroit Lions standout Sam LaPorta — but bigger. Ben Johnson absolutely adored LaPorta in Detroit, and Loveland will give Johnson and Williams a legit receiving threat in all areas of the field. Warren is the better blocker, but Loveland is absolutely the better receiver and is an outstanding fit for everything Johnson does.

Grade: A

Mike Sando’s assessment

Loveland going ahead of Warren among tight ends does not surprise coaches and evaluators. They see Loveland as the more dynamic athlete and matchup threat, even while acknowledging there are no major holes in Warren’s game.

How he fits

The Bears have tight end Cole Kmet under contract for the next three seasons. But Kmet’s standing with the team still shouldn’t prevent them from finding more weapons for Johnson’s offense. So here’s Loveland. With Kmet and Loveland, the Bears’ 12 personnel package (two tight ends) should be a formidable threat from Day 1. Loveland’s selection should create plenty of matchup problems in the passing game, especially with DJ Moore and Rome Odunze at receiver. “It creates creativity for an offense in Ben’s eyes,” Bears senior director of player personnel Jeff King said.

Depth-chart impact

The Bears drafted Loveland to play right away. You expect that to happen with a player taken at No. 10. Loveland’s versatility and ability to separate raised comparisons to former Ravens tight end Todd Heap. If we’re making projections, Loveland could be the Bears’ move tight end, filling a role held by LaPorta in the Lions’ offense. LaPorta was very productive with Johnson, too. Kmet, meanwhile, can be the Bears’ top inline option for Johnson. His target load could decrease in the passing game with Loveland, but it’s still an important role. “Cole’s going to be a big part of our offense as well,” King said.

They also could have picked …

It wasn’t surprising that the Bears took a tight end in the first round. Which one they took was the surprise. The Bears viewed Loveland as a better prospect than Warren, who was often linked to the team before the draft. King described Loveland as the “best fit for us.” The Bears also chose Loveland over the best pass rushers, starting with Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams, who was the 11th pick for the 49ers, and Texas A&M’s Shemar Stewart.

Fast evaluation

With Johnson, the Bears’ search for offensive weapons will never cease. Loveland fits that. The Bears believe Kmet and Loveland will complement each other in the pass and run games, while creating matchup issues for opposing defenses.

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