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The Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland as their first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Loveland was selected 10th overall by the rebuilding Bears. Former Alabama football coach Nick Saban is calling the tight end the best receiver of all tight ends in the draft, per ESPN.
Saban also revealed he tried to recruit the player when he was at Alabama.
It is not often that a tight end is selected in the draft's first 10 picks. The Bears though were enamored with the Wolverines player.
“I asked him about his hand strength, because not only can you see it when he catches the ball but when he blocks, and he was like, ‘Have you ever put up wire fence in Idaho before?'” Bears general manager Ryan Poles said. “I said, ‘No.' But, that explains (a lot).
“He's been doing some labor that kind of makes him who he is. When you watch the tape, you can see that. And when you all meet him, you'll see that as well.”
The Bears were the only team in the NFC North division to miss the NFL Playoffs last year. Chicago won just five games.
Colston Loveland is expected to be a factor in the Bears offense
Loveland finished his final season at Michigan with 582 receiving yards and five touchdowns. He was a part of the 2023 squad that won a national championship under former coach Jim Harbaugh.
In 2024, Loveland kept steady production despite losing Harbaugh and quarterback J.J. McCarthy.
“I asked him about that,” Poles added. “How did you handle that? How did you handle working with a younger quarterback or somebody who you didn't maybe have the greatest chemistry or the same chemistry you had the year before.
“And how he responded to that was really mature and it showed good awareness. It showed selflessness. It showed him being a team guy more than just him and his stats.”
The new Bears tight end is dealing with a shoulder injury, that will keep him out of some football activities this spring. Veteran Cole Kmet will be first on the depth chart, and the Bears plan to use both tight ends when Loveland is ready to go.
“All of the things we are trying to build here, he encompasses that as a person,” Bears senior director of player personnel Jeff King said about Loveland. “Not even getting to the field yet, you talk about the cover of the album being your first pick. He embodies that.”
Bears fans are excited to see what Loveland can do.
