Once Colston Loveland hit his stride as a rookie last season, he was one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL. His closing stretch, including the Chicago Bears' two playoff games, put him in some rare air for a tight end over any four-game stretch in league history.
The next step for Loveland is to do it over a full season this year. If he can, he would elevate his case as one of the league's best tight ends, and he'd be lined up to stay in that conversation for years to come. While no less an authority than Bears' head coach Ben Johnson is fully on board with that happening, we do need to see it before fully anointing the 10th overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Sayre Bedinger of Lombardi Avenue has ranked the four starting tight ends in the NFC North heading into the 2026 season. Loveland came in at No. 2, one spot ahead of Johnson's previous No. 1 tight end, Sam LaPorta, but behind (big surprise) Packers tight end Tucker Kraft.
Packers writer postpones inevitable acknowledgement for Colston Loveland
"Sometimes, lists like this can be based on "seniority" or proven production over time", Bedinger wrote, "but with Colston Loveland, there's definitely a little bit of projection involved."
"Loveland doesn't have quite the same body of work as a guy like LaPorta, but he might have a case as the most talented tight end in the NFL, much less the NFC North. After his rookie season, there isn't a single defensive coordinator in the NFC North excited about having to go up against this guy twice a year."
"Loveland caught 58 passes for 713 yards and six touchdowns as a rookie for the Chicago Bears. He added another 12 receptions for 193 yards (16.1 yards per reception) in the playoffs and has quickly become arguably Caleb Williams' favorite target. And that's what I'm assuming he's going to prove to be in 2026."
"There were a lot of people shocked when the Bears took Loveland in the first place, considering the presence of Cole Kmet on the roster. That has proven to be a genius decision, as they might find before too long that they've got the best tight end in the league in Loveland. Or, maybe second-best.."
Read more: Bears' rookie has golden opportunity to end notable franchise drought
Kraft is a fine player, with a very bright future himself, and LaPorta will have a big say in the conversation until further notice. But if things go as planned for Loveland this season, he's set to take his place as the best tight end in the NFC North, and he won't be easy to knock off that perch for quite a while.
Add us as a preferred source on Google