logo
Colston Loveland predicted to have big rookie season with Bears

Colston Loveland predicted to have big rookie season with Bears

USA Todaya day ago

The Chicago Bears have several exciting rookies on the roster heading into the 2025 season, led by tight end Colston Loveland and wide receiver Luther Burden III. Both are expected to play key roles on offense in their rookie seasons, but Loveland is already generating high expectations.
NFL.com's Gennaro Filice projected his early 2025 NFL All-Rookie Team, where Loveland was the representative at tight ends. Loveland gets the nod over fellow rookie Tyler Warren, who Chicago passed on and who many believed was the top tight end in this draft class.
"Standing 6-6, 241 pounds, Loveland is a tight end who runs routes with the fluidity of a wideout," wrote Filice. "That's what makes him special. And that's what made Sam LaPorta a rookie Pro Bowler under Ben Johnson in Detroit, so it stands to reason that Johnson will get the most out of Loveland in Chicago. With Cole Kmet in place to handle traditional in-line work, Johnson can let his beautiful football mind run wild when it comes to scheming up touches for his new toy. The Bears have a lot of mouths to feed in the passing game, but I anticipate this supersized separator will get a fair share of attention from young quarterback Caleb Williams."
There are high expectations for Loveland heading into his rookie season, most notably that he gets to work with one of the NFL's brightest offensive minds in Ben Johnson. Loveland recently shared his impressions of Johnson and his "crazy mind," and it's clear the rookie is excited about his prospects in this Bears offense.
While Cole Kmet is a proven veteran on the roster, many expect Loveland to establish himself as the top receiving tight end at some point in his rookie season. If that's the case, the sky's the limit for Loveland, who has drawn comparisons to tight end Sam LaPorta, who was coached by Johnson in Detroit.
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Some interesting player comps for Jayden Daniels and other second-year QBs
Some interesting player comps for Jayden Daniels and other second-year QBs

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Some interesting player comps for Jayden Daniels and other second-year QBs

Speculation is rampant concerning Commanders' QB Jayden Daniels and the other second-year NFL quarterbacks. Pro Football Focus produced this week their projections for the NFL rookie class of quarterbacks from 2024. The question they posed was what the ceiling and floor would be for these second-year quarterbacks. The ceiling for Jayden Daniels was extremely high, and it is no doubt that the Commanders would love for Daniels to have a year similar to what Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson has enjoyed, resulting in multiple NFL Most Valuable Player awards. Advertisement Here is the PFF List, and where they were drafted in 2024: Caleb Williams, Chicago Bears (1 overall) Ceiling - Jordan Love, Floor - Bust Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders (2 overall) Ceiling - Lamar Jackson, Floor - Kyler Murray Drake Maye, New England Patriots (3 overall) Ceiling - Trevor Lawrence, Floor - Daniel Jones Michael Penix Jr, Atlanta Falcons (8 overall) Ceiling - Justin Herbert, Floor - Jameis Winston Ceiling - Joe Burrow, Floor - Sam Darnold Bo Nix, Denver Broncos (12 overall) Ceiling - Drew Brees, Floor - Mac Jones PFF is already ready to think Caleb Williams might be a bust this soon? With Ben Johnson as his head coach? Both comps for Jayden Daniels are also very much extremely quick, mobile quarterbacks. Daniels did lead the Commanders in rushing with 891 yards. More importantly, his TD/INT ratio was 25:9, and while passing for 3,568 yards, he also completed 69 percent of his passes. Drake Maye's ceiling may say more about how PFF views Trevor Lawrence and Daniel Jones. Interestingly, both comps for Michael Penix, Jr., are also guys who can really throw the ball down the field. Seeing that he never played a down last year, and will be taking his first NFL regular season snaps this season, what evidence did PFF have to suggest the ceiling for J.J. McCarthy would be one of the NFL's top passers, Joe Burrow? In addition, Sam Darnold had his career-best year last year, and that is McCarthy's floor? All the other ceilings were current NFL quarterbacks. Perhaps PFF simply is trying to be cute because Sean Payton coached both Brees and Nix? This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Commanders' Jayden Daniels has the highest ceiling of the 2nd-year QBs

Looking back to Memphis for Steelers WR Calvin Austin III breakout season
Looking back to Memphis for Steelers WR Calvin Austin III breakout season

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

Looking back to Memphis for Steelers WR Calvin Austin III breakout season

When wide receiver Calvin Austin III was preparing for the 2022 NFL draft, it was his 4.32-second 40-yard dash that stole the headlines. But when the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Austin in the fourth round, they did it because he proved to be a complete player, not just a deep threat. Now it is 2025 and Austin is coming off of his best year as a pro, is fully healthy and eyeing a spot in the starting lineup, we look back to his final two seasons at Memphis to get an idea of what Pittsburgh is hoping for should Austin be in the starting lineup with DK Metcalf. Advertisement Austin caught 137 passes for 2,002 yards and 20 total touchdowns in his final two seasons. The bulk of the memphis offense ran through Austin and every opposing defense knew he was the top target and they couldn't slow him down. This was despite only being 5-foot-9 and at the time somewhere in the neighborhook of 165 pounds. In 2021, Austin caught 74 passes and the next-best receiver on the team caught just 29 passes. In case anyone needs reminding of what a fully healthy Austin is capable of, check out his highlights from his time at Memphis. The Steelers are hoping to get that version of Austin this season as he assumes a much heavier workload in an offense short-handed at wide receiver. This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Looking back to Memphis for Steelers WR Calvin Austin III breakout season

How Lonzo Ball trade impacts Celtics offseason options
How Lonzo Ball trade impacts Celtics offseason options

Yahoo

timean hour ago

  • Yahoo

How Lonzo Ball trade impacts Celtics offseason options

A busy offseason of trades continued this week around the league with the Bulls dealing point guard Lonzo Ball to the Cavaliers in exchange for Isaac Okoro, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The simple 1-for-1 swap won't become official until next month but signals a few changes on the horizon for both teams in the East as the offseason begins to take shape. Let's take a closer look at the particulars of the deal and what it may mean as the Celtics start to sift more through trade options following the deals of Kristaps Porzingis and Jrue Holiday. Why the Cavs did the deal This was reallocating assets for a Cleveland team that is deep into the second apron already and has a couple of key free agents in Ty Jerome and Sam Merrill. With Jerome expected to get mid-level exception money on the open market, the Cavs are now dealing from an area of extra depth on the roster (wing) to land Ball, who likely be the team's replacement at backup point guard next season while making a modest $10 million. Advertisement Ball only played 35 games last year due to injury and missed the previous two seasons with knee issues, so it's a bit of a gamble to expect Ball to remain healthy. However, he's a far better option than the team could get on the open market if Jerome walked for nothing in free agency. Why the Bulls did the deal Okoro is a defensive upgrade on the wing for a middling Bulls squad, but how much upside the former No. 5 pick has remains an open question. He's a spotty low frequency 3-point shooter who was never able to carve out a big role for himself in Cleveland, leading to the Cavs to acquire De'Andre Hunter to soak up more minutes over him last year. Okoro is only 24, so the gamble is on youth and upside here even as he enters the sixth year of his career. What the deal could signal about trade market for Celtics The Cavs remain a team saddled with second apron restrictions despite this trade so they will not be factoring into any of Boston's future dealing likely, largely since they can't take back any additional money that they send out in a trade. Advertisement The Bulls, on the other hand, are a very fascinating trade partner for Boston to look at. The team has almost no long-term money on their books outside of Patrick Williams and there are plenty of mid-sized salaries up and down the roster including Kevin Huerter, Zach Collins, Coby White, Jalen Smith, and Jevon Carter. Some of those players (White) have a lot more value than the others, but this is certainly a team that could be a fit as a trade partner or facilitator with Boston if they were interested in Anfernee Simons or any other mid-level Celtics salaries in the coming weeks. NBA free agency kicks off for the Celtics on June 30 but look for Boston to remain active on the trade market in the days to come. More Celtics content Read the original article on MassLive.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store