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ESPN praises landing spot for Chicago Bears' 2025 NFL draft pick

Originally posted on Chicago Bears on SI | By Bryan Perez | Last updated May 9, 2025 12:04 PM ET

The 2025 NFL Draft -- on paper -- was a wild success for the Chicago Bears. General manager Ryan Poles enhanced the offense beyond the already massive improvements he made through trades and in free agency, sending coach Ben Johnson a walking mismatch at tight end -- Colston Loveland -- in the first round at No. 10 overall.

Indeed, post-draft grades have been kind to the Bears. But as we see every year, not every hopeful expectation that comes along with being a first-round pick is met. Oftentimes, a rookie's success or failure comes down to how well they fit with their new team; the personnel, the system, the coaching philosophy.

For Loveland and the Bears, they appear to be a match made in football heaven.

In fact, Loveland was recently listed by ESPN as one of the NFL Draft's best player-team fits.

"Loveland is a refined route runner with positional flex, and that upgrades new coach Ben Johnson's offense in the pass game," ESPN's Matt Bowen wrote. "At 6-foot-6, 248 pounds, Loveland can play in-line, bump to the slot or even move to the backside of 3x1 sets. He's more than just a big seam stretcher, though; Loveland can create separation as he comes out of his breaks and has the lower-body quickness to get loose against press coverage. He's a three-level target.

"Those traits give Johnson's offense more creativity from a formation perspective, as Chicago could major in two-TE sets with both Loveland and Cole Kmet on the field. With the additions of Loveland and second-round receiver Luther Burden III, the Bears are setting up quarterback Caleb Williams with a versatile group of pass catchers."

Loveland should be everything Kmet isn't: a dynamic pass-catching weapon who finally brings the Bears' tight end position into the NFL's modern era. While it would be unfair to expect Loveland to make the same impact Brock Bowers had for the Las Vegas Raiders in 2024, it's not unreasonable to project him to find similar success to Detroit Lions star Sam LaPorta.

LaPorta shined under Ben Johnson as a rookie in 2023 when he caught 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. A box score like that could be in reach for Loveland, especially with the one-on-one mismatches he's expected to see in 2025.

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

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