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Colston Loveland to massively outperform Cole Kmet in 2025, ESPN projections say

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI
By Pete Martuneac | Last updated May 17, 2025 11:01 AM ET

When the Chicago Bears selected Colston Loveland at 10th overall in the 2025 NFL draft, many fans and analysts were taken by surprise. In the days that followed, however, it became clear that the Bears had a vision for the young tight end from Michigan.

Loveland brings a unique skillset to the table. He recently described himself as a wide receiver in a tight end's body, and that seems exactly right. His route running is excellent, he's quick, and he doesn't often drop a pass once he gets his hands on it. Understandably, fans, analysts, and even former players are high on his potential in the NFL.

However, his elite potential has led to some musing that he won't be able to coexist in an offense with established veteran, Cole Kmet. Kmet is coming off a bit of a down year, but Chicago's offense was so dysfunctional in 2024 that no one did particularly well. In 2023, Kmet looked like he was about to leap into the elite tier of NFL tight ends.

With that in mind, it was shocking to see ESPN's projections for Kmet in 2025.

In the annual projections released by ESPN's Mike Clay, Kmet is set for just 21 catches on 27 targets, 172 yards, and only one touchdown. Mind you, Kmet is going into the second year of a contract extension that's paying him roughly $12 million per year.

These aren't the numbers of a starter splitting reps with an up-and-coming rookie. These are numbers that will get Kmet traded or even cut after the season. Especially if Loveland gets close to his projections of 54 catches on 81 targets, 592 yards, and 4 touchdowns.

Don't expect the 2025 season to play out this way for either player

I get it. Loveland is an exciting rookie with immense upside while Kmet is a steady if uninspiring veteran. It's easy to envision Loveland exploding onto the scene, especially with head coach Ben Johnson calling plays, and rendering Kmet redundant.

But 172 yards? That would be a brutal season for a guy like Kmet.

In fairness, these numbers are owed partly to the fact that Clay's projections aren't kind to the Bears as a whole. Between Caleb Williams and Case Keenum, Chicago's passing game would total less than 4,000 yards and that's not a lot for a group with as many mouths to feed as Chicago has.

Still, I would be shocked to see Loveland more than triple Kmet's production. I trust in Ben Johnson to work both tight ends into his offense effectively, without leaving either one out to dry in terms of targets.

This article first appeared on Chicago Bears on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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