The Chicago Bears made one of the most interesting selections in the first round of the NFL Draft when they took Michigan tight end Colston Loveland on Thursday night. The pick was questioned by those who believed that Penn State’s Tyler Warren was the best tight end in this year’s class and the groans became louder as Loveland continues to recover from a shoulder injury.
But a recent development should leave Bears fans optimistic about adding Loveland and if he pans out, it could be some recent intel on the pick that could change everything.
NFL Insider Believes Multiple Teams Were Trying to Trade Up for Colston Loveland in NFL Draft
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport gave his intel on the first round of the draft during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday morning. While he confirmed that the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans were looking to trade up in the first round of the draft, he said all calls went quiet when the Bears took Loveland 10th overall.
“The Bears take Colston Loveland at 10 and a bunch of the calls stopped. And I was like ‘Wow, like, maybe he was the guy,’” Rapoport said. “I don’t know specifically those teams are trying to trade up for [Loveland], because I think there were some others…but like, I didn’t know this. We all thought Tyler Warren was the dude, but it seems like Loveland was [the dude].”
“Before the draft I’m starting to hear that a couple of teams are really actively trying to trade up..
Assuming that NFL evaluators thought Loveland was the top tight end in the class is a surprising revelation. Loveland caught 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns in 10 games for the Wolverines last season, but he was the only reliable target in an offense that was quarterbacked by Davis Warren, Alex Orji and Jack Tuttle. Loveland was also versatile, playing as both an inline tight end and a blocker.
But Tyler Warren’s stat line was far superior, hauling in 104 passes for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns for the Nittany Lions last season, and Loveland’s shoulder injury seemed to widen the gap. But it’s also believable that the Texans, the Broncos and perhaps a mystery team saw Loveland as an upgrade over their current options at tight end.
If Rapoport’s take is true, the Bears may have been validated in taking a player that multiple teams coveted on Thursday night. If that’s the case, Caleb Williams and Johnson have an elite weapon in their offense that can help take Chicago’s offense to new heights.