Bears' Colston Loveland dubbed preseason winner among 2025 first-round picks
Chicago Bears first-round pick Colston Loveland is expected to transform the tight end position for this franchise. Not since Greg Olsen have the Bears had a tight end with Loveland's upside, and I think it's fair to say that even Olsen lacked the exciting juice and mismatch nightmare that Loveland will offer coach Ben Johnson's offense in 2025.
But as has been the case far too often with the Bears, first-round scouting reports often fail to translate to on-field production.
Indeed, Loveland has yet to play his first NFL regular-season snap, but if the preseason is any indication of the impact he'll make as a pro, the odds he'll be a bust are really, really low.
In fact, Loveland was among the first-round rookie winners from this summer's slate of games, according to The Athletic.
"One of my favorite fits of the 2025 draft, Loveland already showed off a smooth connection with Caleb Williams on two catches for 26 yards — including an impressive catch and run over the middle — against Buffalo," The Athletic's Nick Baumgardner wrote. "His blocking has been better than I thought it’d be this early, and Ben Johnson’s already moving him around the formation while incorporating plenty of double-tight looks with Cole Kmet."
Loveland certainly was one of the big winners of the Bears' preseason. While he could still face a steep learning curve early in the season -- most rookie tight ends take time to get going -- there's no doubt Johnson has a smart plan for how to use him. He looked more like a wide receiver than a tight end, and his size-speed combination looked every bit like the mismatch he was billed to be during the 2025 NFL Draft.
If the Chicago Bears are intent on becoming a dynamic passing team this season, Colston Loveland will be a huge part of that plan. He'll join forces with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and fellow rookie Luther Burden to give the Bears their most exciting set of skill players since the glory days of Brandon Marshall, Alshon Jeffery, and Matt Forte.
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