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Colston Loveland 2025 NFL Redraft Outlook: Ben Johnson’s “Sam LaPorta”?

Originally posted on Total Apex Fantasy Sports
By Andrew Kim | Last updated Aug 18, 2025 9:34 AM ET

Let me tell you something that’s been eating at me since draft night: watching Colston Loveland fall to the 10th overall pick was painful enough, but seeing his fantasy football ADP crater into late-round territory? That’s just criminal.

I’ve been covering this league for over a decade, and I can smell a fantasy goldmine from a mile away. Loveland isn’t just another rookie tight end hoping to crack a lineup. This kid is about to make a lot of fantasy managers look like geniuses while everyone else is kicking themselves for sleeping on him.

Colston Loveland 2024 College Stats and Production

Here’s what gets my blood pumping about this situation: Chicago didn’t just draft a tight end at 10th overall for fun. Teams don’t burn top-10 picks on players they plan to ease into the rotation. When Ben Johnson – the same offensive mastermind who turned Sam LaPorta into a fantasy monster in Detroit – personally selected Loveland, that should’ve sent shockwaves through every fantasy draft room.

Johnson knows tight ends better than most coaches know their morning coffee order. He’s the guy who turned LaPorta from a second-round rookie into the TE2 overall in fantasy last season. Now he’s got his hands on an even more talented player in Loveland, and fantasy managers are treating him like he’s some late-round flier?

The disrespect is real, and it’s creating the biggest value play at the position since, well, LaPorta himself.

Sure, Chicago has bodies at receiver. DJ Moore’s still there, they added Rome Odunze in the first round, and Cole Kmet isn’t going anywhere. But here’s what the doubters are missing – successful offenses create opportunities for everyone, not steal them from each other.

Look at what happened in Detroit last year. They had Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Josh Reynolds, and still found 120 targets for LaPorta. Why? Because when an offense clicks, the pie gets bigger for everyone.

Caleb Williams looked like a different quarterback in preseason action under Johnson’s system, leading a surgical 92-yard touchdown drive that had Bears fans dreaming of January football. When quarterbacks are comfortable and confident, tight ends eat. It’s football 101.

Colston Loveland 2025 Fantasy Outlook

Aug 10, 2025; Chicago, Illinois, USA; Chicago Bears tight end Colston Loveland (84) catches a pass as Miami Dolphins safety Elijah Campbell (22) defends during the first half at Soldier Field. Mandatory Credit: David Banks-Imagn Images

Johnson’s track record with tight ends isn’t some mystical black magic; it’s a proven formula. He loves using tight ends as safety valves, red zone weapons, and mismatch creators. Those play-action shots that made Detroit’s offense so explosive? Half of them went to the tight end position.

Loveland brings everything Johnson covets in a tight end: reliable hands, yards-after-catch ability, and the kind of route-running precision that creates those “easy” touchdowns everyone remembers. The kid caught everything thrown his way at Michigan, and now he’s stepping into an offensive system designed to maximize exactly what he does best.

Let’s talk cold, hard facts. Over the past decade, rookie tight ends taken in the top 50 have averaged 46.5 receptions for 529.9 yards and 3.7 touchdowns. That’s already TE1 territory in most leagues.

But Loveland isn’t just any top-50 pick – he’s a top-10 selection walking into an offense run by a coordinator who’s proven he can unlock tight end production. The projection models are spitting out conservative numbers like 47 catches for 501 yards, but those feel like floor projections, not ceiling ones.

When you factor in Johnson’s system and Chicago’s commitment to getting Loveland involved early, those numbers start looking awfully light.

Here’s where this gets really interesting from a fantasy perspective. Even if Loveland starts slow – and nothing suggests he will – this is a player who could dominate the second half of the season. Rookie tight ends historically heat up as the year progresses, and Loveland’s skill set suggests he’ll hit that upswing earlier than most.

Johnson’s offenses love throwing to tight ends in the red zone, and Loveland’s 6’5″ frame makes him a matchup nightmare down there. Those goal-line touches add up fast in fantasy scoring, and they’re the kind of consistent production that wins championships.

This article first appeared on Total Apex Fantasy Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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