Colston Loveland and Jim Harbaugh won a national championship with Michigan football together in 2023. While they’re now on two separate teams in the NFL, Harbaugh knows exactly what the Chicago Bears are getting in their new tight end.
The now Los Angeles Chargers head coach played a big role in recruiting Loveland to Michigan. Then, he helped develop him into a crucial part of the offense. During that 2023 championship run, Loveland caught 45 passes for a career-high 649 yards and four touchdowns.
If the tight end was still available at No. 22, it seems likely that Harbaugh and the Chargers would’ve targeted him. However, going at No. 10, Loveland proved to be one of the biggest risers in the 2025 class. As he begins his NFL career, Harbaugh’s comments on Loveland’s potential will certainly fire up Bears fans, via NBC Sports.
“They’re going to love Colston,” Harbaugh said. “Colston is going to love Chicago. He is going to have a much better career than I did in Chicago. Really, really, really great pick. Smart pick by the Chicago Bears. They are getting a great football player.”
Colston Loveland gives Chicago Bears elite passing attack
Loveland followed up his championship season by setting new career-highs in receptions (56) and touchdowns (five) while gaining 582 yards. The tight end was named Second-team All-American. Furthermore, he earned a comparison to Ben Johnson favorite Sam LaPorta prior to the draft by Lance Zierlein of NFL.com.
“Talented young tight end with the athletic ability and ball skills to become an elite talent as a pass catcher. Colston plays the game like a big wideout, capable of separating from man coverage and making plays on all three levels. He has good play speed and runs a route tree full of branches, allowing creative play-callers to move him around as a mismatch option,” Zierlein wrote. “His routes can be a little hurried and lacking in detail but that should change with coaching.”
“He’s graceful in-air and catches the ball with good timing and strong hands,” Zierlein continued. “He will keep filling out his frame but is unlikely to ever become more than average as a blocker. Colston’s collection of athletic traits and catch talent creates a high ceiling with the opportunity to become a high-volume target and future Pro Bowler.”
The Bears had been heavily linked to fellow tight end Tyler Warren leading up to the draft. However, they felt his skill set was too similar to that of Cole Kmet’s. Loveland provides a much superior pass catching ability, which is exactly what Johnson was looking for.
Chicago will now have one of the most dangerous one-two punches at tight end. Johnson was known to run plenty of 12 personnel with the Detroit Lions. Now he has two athletic weapons to attack the defense with. Not to mention wide receivers DJ Moore, Rome Odunze and Luther Burden.
Ultimately, Loveland will need to prove why he was the No. 10 overall pick. But clearly he has believers in both Johnson and Harbaugh. If he can get quarterback Caleb Williams on board, Loveland would begin his NFL career on a fiery path.
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