After rumors suggesting they could move up or down in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Chicago Bears elected to stand pat at No. 10 overall and ultimately made a decision that will raise plenty of eyebrows.
With the No. 10 overall pick, the Bears chose former University of Michigan standout tight end Colston Loveland to add to new head coach Ben Johnson's arsenal of weapons.
While Loveland is a fine prospect in his own right and will bring his own unique attributes to Chicago's offense, he was not considered to be the top tight end in this draft class. That honor was given to Penn State University star Tyler Warren, so Chicago's brain trust will likely have plenty of questions to answer with regard to what led to that decision.
Warren showcased extreme potential to be a difference-maker at the next level with a prolific 2024 season that saw him register 1,233 yards and 8 touchdowns. Meanwhile, Loveland had only 649 yards in 15 games in 2023, and followed that up with 582 in 10 games this past campaign.
His 2024 season was also cut short due to a shoulder injury that required surgery and raised concerns with other franchises. So not only did Chicago take the prospect who's shown less upside in his collegiate career, but he's also the one with a big medical red flag, which has come back to bite teams in similar situations before.
At the end of the day, what these players do from this point forward will be far more important than anything they accomplished during their collegiate careers. If the Bears saw something in Loveland that made him the guy at the top of their draft board at the tight end position, the former Michigan standout will have every opportunity to show why that was the case.
However, if Warren ultimately winds up having a better career than Loveland, especially in the short term, the first selection of the Ben Johnson era with the Bears could be one that is remembered for all of the wrong reasons.