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 five touchdowns. He earned second-team All-American honors by 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.
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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).
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.'
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.'
NASTY stiff arm from Colston Loveland 💪 @UMichFootball#B1GFootball on CBS 📺 pic.twitter.com/SyjfIyXewc
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) November 2, 2024
Come back later for more analysis of Loveland.
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