There were plenty of Chicago Bears fans, even if they don't want to admit it, who had their doubts about rookie first-round pick tight end Colston Loveland.
It was a slow start to the season for Loveland, with 11 catches for 116 yards in his first six career games. After his 118-yard and two-touchdown performance against the Cincinnati Bengals, it completely changed the season for him as he finished as the team's leading receiver with 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns.
During Super Bowl week, Loveland sat down with CHGO for an interview as they asked him about his first meeting with Bears head coach Ben Johnson. Loveland shared an awesome story that shows why he was selected 10th overall.
"I don't I met with him at the Combine, but at the Pro Day, him, (Ryan) Poles, the whole staff they came. I had a formal meeting with him. It was a long meeting. It was a tough meeting. I was on the board. I walked out of that thinking I killed it too like, 'Okay I did a good job.' But I was like 'They definitely have some interest. They brought everyone out to Pro Day.' I wasn't doing anything at the Pro Day. Just to interview. There was one thing when I was on the board and maybe Coach Johnson asked like 'Who do you compare your game to.' I said "I think I play a lot like Sam LaPorta.' He was like 'Yeah, I agree.'"
Colston Loveland showed Ben Johnson why the Bears wanted him
Everyone knew that when Johnson walked through the doors of Halas Hall that he loved his tight end. He thrived off of having two tight ends who could be leading receivers if they needed to be.
The Bears had the perfect combo between Loveland and Cole Kmet. While Kmet was a bit of a disappointment, it was Loveland who stole the show and proved why he was picked over Indianapolis Colts tight end Tyler Warren in the 2025 NFL Draft.
No one in Chicago could have expected Loveland to put up the kind of numbers he did, but he certainly impressed the whole fan base with his play, and that confidence he showed in the meeting made it even better. He went from being a bust in the first half of the season to now being a potential Hall of Famer.
Read more: Bears' first major offseason move retains Ozzy Trapilo's potential replacement
Year 2 is only going to get better for Loveland, and Bears fans couldn't be more excited to see it play out.