At the beginning of the season, the 2025 Chicago Bears draft class looked like a massive bust, with little production from any of the players. That has seismically changed late in the year.
The Bears' offense in particular has seen a ton of great performances from seventh-round pick running back Kyle Monangai, first-round pick tight end Colston Loveland, and second-round picks Ozzy Trapilo and Luther Burden III. Bears offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was explicitly asked about the impact that Loveland and Burden have had on the passing game, with the coach giving the two high praise.
"They've just done a great job of keeping their head down," Doyle said via 670 The Score's Chris Emma. "I think it's a byproduct of them being very willing and growth-oriented. It's an environment that encourages that, and then the position coaches have done a great job with both of those guys, staying on them and continuing to push them to grow. It's not something that happens a lot, and yet, it's not something outside of the realm. When you watch their habits and how they work every single day, and you see them go out and have success on Sunday, it ties together. It makes sense."
Bears have something special in Loveland and Burden
Entering the final week of the regular season, there is a tight race for who will be the leading receiver on the Bears, with four players between 600 and 671 yards on the year. Loveland is third on the team with 622 and has five touchdowns. Burden is right behind him with 617 yards and two touchdowns.
Loveland and Burden were the top two receivers in the Bears' best passing performance in the 42-38 loss to the San Francisco 49ers in Week 17. They combined for 14 receptions for 232 yards and two touchdowns in the loss.
There was not much hope for either Loveland or Burden, who got off to slow starts to the season, with Loveland getting more heat since Indianapolis Colts rookie first-round pick Tyler Warren was outplaying him. All that bust talk with Loveland quickly died, as he looks like a great pick so far.
Burden was used more for wide receiver screen passes at the beginning of the year, which didn't work well. It has drastically changed since, as not only are the Bears throwing vertically to Burden, but his screen passes are working a lot better.
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It's incredible how Burden and Loveland went from looking like massive busts to playing meaningful snaps and key factors in the offense going into the playoffs. The Bears have a ton of foundational pieces for the future, with the talent they selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.