The Chicago Bears have not taken a lot of tight ends in the first round of the NFL Draft. Only three, to be exact, with Michigan tight end Colston Loveland being the third. The two that came before him should show that the Bears know how to pick quality tight ends in the first round.
The other two tight ends to be selected in the first round by the Bears are Mike Dikta in 1961 and Greg Olsen in 2007. Both went on to have Hall of Fame careers and are remembered as being some of the top tight ends to ever play the position.
Could Colston be the next?
Bears tight ends taken in Round 1:
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) April 25, 2025
2025 Colston Loveland
2007 Greg Olsen
1961 Mike Ditka
Colston Loveland joins an elite group of tight ends drafted by the Bears, and it could foreshadow his NFL career
Chicago may have the Bears, but they got an absolute dawg at the tight end position when they drafted Colston Loveland with the 10th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. Loveland is about to come in and make a serious difference for new head coach Ben Johnson.
Loveland is just the third tight end the Bears have ever taken in the first round, preceded by Olsen adn Ditka. Olsen was drafted by the Bears in 2007 and played just four seasons in Chicago before playing the bulk of his career with the Carolina Panthers. While with the Bears, Olsen had 1,981 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns. The three-time Pro Bowler played a phenomenal career and is eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2026.
Ditka is probably one of the most well-known players in Chicago Bears history. After being drafted in 1961, Ditka played six years with the Bears, totaling 4,503 yards and 34 touchdowns. Ditka is known to be one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history and even came back to Chicago to coach for the Bears from 1982 to 1992.
To be in the same conversation as two of the best to ever do it at the position must feel like big shoes to fill, but Loveland would not have been drafted so high if the Bears didn't believe in him and his ability.