The Pick is In: The Chicago Bears First Round Selection

The 2025 NFL Draft has started, and the first round was an interesting one for our beloved Chicago Bears and Colston Loveland.

With the tenth pick in the first round of the draft, the Bears selected tight end Colston Loveland, a University of Michigan product. This was somewhat of a surprise to some, but with a few of the top tackles and the best running back off the board before the Bears picked, it looks more logical the closer you look at it.

Who is Colston Loveland?

Loveland, a three-year starter with the Wolverines, stands 6’6” and weighs 248 pounds. His production was outstanding. While at Michigan, he was a participant in 39 games and had 117 receptions for 1466 yards and 11 touchdowns. A recruit of former Chicago Bear Jim Harbaugh (former head coach at Michigan), Loveland is a huge guy who is productive and should be able to step in and start right out of the gate.

Some of the upside to Loveland includes the fact that he is a big guy who can stand above the rest and snag passes out of the air with ease. He’s a superb route runner who can run short, intermediate, and long-range routes like a pro. Loveland can block, but isn’t a lights-out blocker, although he finishes his blocks, keeping on them through the whistle. While he does need to work on his footwork a bit, he is not as effective at running with the ball after the catch. Loveland can follow blocks ahead of him well, gaining extra yards.

Loveland will need a bit of polish, but he’s just about NFL-ready. He does have a shoulder injury that he’s currently rehabbing, but plans to be ready by the start of training camp.

What He Means for Chicago

Loveland is going to be huge for the Bears. He’s going to pair well with the Bears’ main starter, Cole Kmet. This will give the Bears a pass-catching duo that could be one of the best in the league. Sprinkle in Rome Odunze and DJ Moore, and you have quite a pass-catching corps in Chicago.

Before the draft, there were rumors that the Bears were looking to trade up. That didn’t materialize, and the Bears held firm at ten.

Several prognosticators felt that the Bears might jockey around either trade up for or hope that Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty would end up dropping in their lap. That wasn’t the case, as he was picked with the sixth pick by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Possibly pivoting because of the picks ahead of them, the Bears took Loveland. He will help give quarterback Caleb Williams the outlet he needs to get the ball out quickly. The tight end spot is a key position in head coach Ben Johnson’s scheme.

Loveland is now a huge piece of the puzzle in the Bears’ new and revamped offense.

This pick seemingly might have had the head coach’s fingerprints all over it. Perhaps because knowing that an offensive-minded head coach would have wanted to enhance the offense. Expect the Bears to go to the defensive side of the ball early in the second round of the draft.

The Next Round

The next selection for the Bears comes at number 39 in the second round. This, of course, unless there is a trade that takes place to either move up or move down in the draft.

The action will start back up again on Friday at 7:00 PM Central Time.