Bears fans will immediately fall in love with Colston Loveland after watching his tape

The Chicago Bears selected Michigan’s Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. 

Not too long after the selection was made, Chicago Bears' senior director of player personnel Jeff King answered questions about the team’s latest selection and highlighted the playstyle of the 6-foot-5, 248-pound playmaker. 

"I love the versatility,” King said. “We love the versatility. The ability to play in 12 but be able to separate in the passing game. I think you saw at Michigan he had to, right? Blocking in line and do a lot of things and wear a lot of different hats. So from that standpoint, the versatility and the matchup issues he can cause in compliment of Cole (Kmet), let's not forget Cole is going to be a big part of our offense as well, so having those two guys gives us an element of being in 11, being in 12 and doing a lot of different things. That was intriguing."

King also elaborated on what makes Loveland’s ability to separate special, stating he “Has really good snap out of the top, he gets negative on cuts probably as well as any guy that I have been around.”

That ability to create separation was most notable in Loveland’s performance against Oregon last season. In the 38-17 loss, Loveland had a career-high 112 yards on seven receptions.  

To highlight Loveland’s strengths as a pass catcher, here are his top plays from the game against the Ducks. 

First catch of the game 

Loveland got his first reception of the game with 3:30 left before halftime. Loveland lined up just outside of the left tackle on this second-and-8 play on Michigan’s 27-yard line. The Wolverines’ tight end worked upfield before breaking outside and finding a soft spot in the zone. Loveland extended his hands over his head and caught the football. 

You can see Loveland is a smooth mover and showed that on this out-breaking route. 

Back-to-back receptions

This is the next play, and Loveland is left wide open on this flea flicker. He initially blocks the defensive end and then sheds the block. Loveland has plenty of space to work with, but has to break one tackle near the sideline to get himself an explosive play and does so on this 36-yard gain. 

The physicality was on full display for this rep. Once Loveland caught the football and then at the end of the play when Loveland lowered his shoulder into the defender. 

Middle of the field threat

For this second-and-8 play from Michigan’s 27-yard line, Loveland is lined up off the line of scrimmage. This allows the tight end to run upfield untouched, and Loveland has plenty of space to work with behind the zone defense on the over route. Once Loveland had the ball in his hands, he didn’t break stride and kept working upfield for a 34-yard gain. 

Wide-receiver like

With the Wolverines facing a second-and-14 from Oregon’s 26-yard line, Loveland lined up in the slot to the right. This is where you can clearly see the separation that King was talking about. Loveland ran a skinny post and created space from the Ducks’ defensive back. The Wolverines gained 20 yards on this play, moving the chains, and scored a touchdown three plays later. 

You can tell from this rep and the previous ones that Loveland trusts his hands and is a natural pass catcher. 

Close play 

On third-and-8 with the Wolverines trailing 31-17, Loveland is lined up in the slot to the left. The play is designed to go to Loveland on the out route. The ball is thrown his way, and Loveland attempts to haul in the pass that is thrown high and behind him. Loveland almost came down with this reception, but lost the ball as he made contact with the ground. He got one foot in bounds and was close to making an incredible play. 

Even Loveland’s “misses” highlight the special athlete the Bears now have in their offense. Ben Johnson, Caleb Williams, and Cole Kmet all benefit from this addition, and Loveland's skillset should only open up the possibilities for Johnson and the offense as the team continues to develop its playbook.