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Bears TE Colston Loveland
When the Chicago Bears selected Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the reaction was rather mixed…
Some called it a reach. Others preferred Tyler Warren. After all, Loveland wasn’t coming off his most dominant college season. And early in his rookie year, the skepticism only grew louder as Warren looked like the better TE.
But by season’s end, the conversation had completely flipped. And now Pro Football Focus has confirmed what Bears fans already knew… Ranking Loveland as the No. 1 rookie in 2025, and No. 61 on its annual PFF 101 list.
Loveland earned an 86.2 receiving grade, second among all tight ends, trailing only George Kittle. His 1.97 yards per route run average ranked behind only Kittle and Dalton Kincaid. PFF also graded him as the third best tight end in football overall.
The turning point
GettyBears TE Colston Loveland
The shift from “questionable pick” to cornerstone happened fast.
In Week 9 against the Bengals, Colston Loveland caught a 58 yard strike from Caleb Williams with 17 seconds left to win the game. By the end of the week, he was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the first tight end to earn that honor since Jeremy Shockey back in 2002.
He wasn’t done. In the Divisional Round loss to the Rams, Loveland set an NFL record for the most postseason receiving yards ever by a rookie tight end.
With guys like Travis Kelce nearing the end of his career and George Kittle continuing to battle injury after January, the TE position is starting to shift toward a younger wave. And Loveland looks like one of the faces of it.
What separates him is versatility. Some young tight ends win primarily as receivers. Others are strong in-line blockers who develop as pass catchers. Loveland already does both.
And his impact has been so great that people have floated the idea of the Chicago Bears choosing to trade or cut their other star tight end, Cole Kmet.
Ryan Poles’ bold bet pays off
GettyBears TE Colston Loveland
For general manager Ryan Poles, this is shaping up to be the defining draft decision of his tenure.
He’s made strong selections before from Darnell Wright to Rome Odunze to Kyler Gordon, and of course landing Caleb Williams was huge.
But taking Loveland at No. 10, ahead of the consensus favorite at tight end, required conviction. It required trusting the scouting process over draft-night noise. That conviction is now backed by production, and by one of the league’s most data-driven evaluators.
Loveland being ranked No. 61 might seem modest at first glance. But remember: this list excludes future projections. It’s purely about 2025 performance. If trajectory were included, you could make a serious case he belongs in the Top 20.
For Bears fans, that’s the real takeaway. The “reach” narrative is gone. The comparison debates have cooled. Cause Colston Loveland isn’t just a promising young tight end…
He’s a foundational piece, one who looks ready to take the torch in the NFL’s next great wave at the position. And now, PFF has confirmed what the Chicago Bears already knew.
Garrett Klaus Garrett Klaus is a NFL contributor at Heavy.com, where he covers the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Jacksonville Jaguars, and the Carolina Panthers. More about Garrett Klaus
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