Chicago Bears Make First Head-Scratching NFL Draft Pick, Taking Colston Loveland At #10

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Through the first nine picks in the NFL Draft, there weren't any huge surprises. Well, at least as far as the players picked. The Cleveland Browns trading the #2 overall pick to the Jacksonville Jaguars was, obviously, a surprise. 

But the Jaguars took Colorado star and Heisman Trophy-winner Travis Hunter, widely considered the best prospect in the entire draft. After that, the players picked were largely seen as Top 10 picks. At least, until the Chicago Bears made their selection. 

With Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, heavily regarded as not only the best tight end in the NFL Draft, but one of the best pass-catchers, still sitting there, the Bears elected to take Michigan tight end Colston Loveland. Whoa, what? 

Loveland is a nice player, and he was expected to go in the first round. But the top 10? That's a surprise. No, that's a shock. The Bears probably could have tried to trade down in the first round and still picked Loveland, if that's the guy they really wanted. 

Obviously, they prefer Loveland to Warren. That's fine; teams have their own assessments of players, and they clearly spent a lot of time looking at both players before making their decision. I don't agree with that assessment, but what the heck do I know? 

The Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the #10 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which came as a surprise with Penn State tight end Tyler Warren still on the board.

The Chicago Bears selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the #10 overall pick in the NFL Draft, which came as a surprise with Penn State tight end Tyler Warren still on the board.

(Imagn Images)

Still, the betting odds did not have Loveland going in the Top 10 or going before Warren. Loveland was +700 to go in the Top 10, while Warren was -175 to go in the Top 10 and -400 to be the first tight end drafted. 

Instead, the Bears decided to shake it up, and they ended up with Loveland over Warren. We'll see how it works out for them. 

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Dan began his sports media career at ESPN, where he survived for nearly a decade. Once the Stockholm Syndrome cleared, he made his way to OutKick. He is secure enough in his masculinity to admit he is a cat-enthusiast with three cats, one of which is named "Brady" because his wife wishes she were married to Tom instead of him.