Colston Loveland’s immediate reaction to playing under Ben Johnson on Chicago Bears

It was no secret that the Chicago Bears were going to add to their offense at some point in the 2025 NFL Draft. However, not many expected the answer to be tight end Colston Loveland with the No. 10 overall pick.

The selection has new head coach Ben Johnson written all over it. He undoubtedly is trying to re-create the spark that made the Detroit Lions offensive juggernauts. By selecting Loveland with fellow tight end Tyler Warren still on the board, Johnson made a major statement. He believes Loveland is the better fit for his and the Bears’ offense.

Now, it’ll be up to Loveland to justify the No. 10 overall selection. He couldn’t be more excited to find his role in Johnson’s offense, via Marquee Sports Network.

“Just love the guy. Before I even met him, just watching Detroit last season, the things they were doing, man, really smart,” Loveland said. “He knows what he’s doing, knows football. Finally being able to talk with him and meet with him and kind of pick his brain, No. 1 fan of that guy for sure. He’s legit, he’s a stud. I can’t wait to be under that, I know he’s going to put us in great positions for Chicago and great positions to win games. I’m just super excited for it.”

“Really smart, knows what he’s doing, loves football.”

Colston Loveland on Bears head coach Ben Johnson. pic.twitter.com/HJQptmoRw0

— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) April 25, 2025

Ben Johnson get intriguing weapon in Colston Loveland

In his final season with the Lions, Johnson helped Detroit finish second in offense, averaging 409.5 yards per game. In turn, Chicago finished dead last, averaging just 284.6 YPG. The Bears won’t become offensive world beaters over night, but it at least shows their ceiling if Johnson can replicate his magic.

With the Lions, Johnson had an elite weapon at tight end in Sam LaPorta. During the 2024 season, he caught 60 passes for 726 yards and seven touchdowns. LaPorta was even scarier as a rookie, catching 86 passes for 889 yards and 10 touchdowns. Loveland and LaPorta are two completely different players, but it’s clear Johnson values the tight end. And by using the No. 10 pick on him, Johnson values Loveland specifically.

Over his three years and 39 games with Michigan, Loveland caught 117 passes for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns. He won a national championship in 2023 before being named a Second-team All-American in 2024 after catching a career-high 56 passes for 582 yards and five touchdowns.

With Cole Kmet still on the roster, the Bears will need to figure out exactly where Loveland fits. However, Johnson was known to run plenty of two-tight end personnel during his time with the Lions. Surely the head coach is concocting a plan to have both of them shine on the gridiron.

The Bears will continue to get questions about their Loveland selection leading up to Week 1. But if the tight end develops into the player Chicago is expecting, the doubters will be silenced immediately.