After a record-breaking rookie season in Chicago, Bears tight end Colston Loveland revealed that he expected to be drafted by a completely different NFL team.
The Chicago Bears used a high draft pick on Michigan tight end Colston Loveland in the 2025 NFL Draft.
General Manager Ryan Poles made his selection of Loveland at No. 10 overall. When you're drafted that high, there are certain things expected of you. I think it's safe to say that Loveland knocked all of the expectations for a rookie out of the park.
He ended up leading the team with 713 receiving yards and six touchdowns. He made his mark on the Bears' TE room in just one season with the team.
He had a part in some of the Bears' fourth-quarter comebacks last season. We know for a fact that the Bears probably wouldn't have beaten the Cincinnati Bengals 47-42 without him. There's no telling how many games the Bears wouldn't have won without Loveland being there.
Not even Loveland thought he was going to be drafted by the Bears. He went on a recent episode of "Bussin With The Boys" and talked about his draft experience.
He shared that he was a little surprised when the Bears took him in the draft, because in his mind, he thought the Los Angeles Chargers would select him at the least.
"Yeah, I was definitely surprised," Loveland said. "Like, I was in my head. I'm thinking no later than the Chargers, but I'll probably go like that was kind of what I was thinking. So, when they picked me up, I was definitely surprised, but I kind of knew, like, Pro Day when we met, and I feel like I killed that ****, you know? Yeah, I think I did good. So, I wasn't really too surprised, and like you said, they didn't really like need, but Ben's [Johnson] philosophy is we're gonna get the best player."
Other than the Bears, Loveland also shared that the team most interested in him was the Chargers.
"I think Chargers. Yeah, 22 or wherever they were?" Loveland said. "That was my only visit I had, and then Coach [Jim] Harbaugh really told me, he's like, 'You know, if you're there, we'll grab you.'"
In the 2025 NFL draft, the Chargers had the No. 22 pick. Plus, they already had a relationship with Loveland, considering that his head coach from Michigan, Jim Harbaugh, left for the same role with the Chargers after the 2023 season.
It made sense for Loveland to go to the Chargers at No. 22, but I think that Bears fans are pretty happy with what he's done so far. It would be hard to imagine last season without Loveland.
With Loveland off the board that early, Los Angeles had to pivot and selected North Carolina running back Omarion Hampton. Hampton wasn't able to play a full season, appearing in nine games and accounting for 545 rushing yards and four touchdowns due to an ankle injury.
The Bears definitely made the right decision, and it's a good thing that Loveland ended up in the Windy City and not Los Angeles.
