Chicago Bears enter the 2026 NFL draft hoping to hit like they did with Colston Loveland

Posted April 22, 2026 11:24 am

By Kevin Fishbain

Tight end Colston Loveland bookended his nearly 365 days as a member of the Chicago Bears by receiving the Piccolo Award, a tremendous honor inside Halas Hall.

More than 48 hours after Loveland spoke to a room full of members of Brian Piccolo’s family, the McCaskey family, coach Ben Johnson and general manager Ryan Poles, the front office and coaching staff will try to find the next Loveland — an impact rookie.

“Really cool to see Colston a part of that,” Poles said. “It’s amazing how quick this time comes back to you in terms of the draft being here already. We just picked Colston, it felt like yesterday. But for him to have that kind of impact (on) this team is really cool to see, his work ethic, how he plays the game. His teammates see that and he’ll continue to lead this team as we move forward.”

Loveland, the first pick of the Ben Johnson era, had 58 catches for 713 yards and six touchdowns. His work off the field and in the locker room earned him the votes from his teammates to be the rookie recipient of the Piccolo Award — linebacker T.J. Edwards won the veteran version for the third consecutive season, a franchise first.

One year ago, then-senior director of player personnel Jeff King was the first to address the media after the Bears went with Loveland over fellow tight end Tyler Warren. He described then what stood out about the Michigan tight end (which happened to be King’s position during his NFL career).

“Tough, smart, has a presence, competitive,” he said. “All of the things we are trying to build here, he encompasses that as a person. Not even getting to the field yet, you talk about the cover of the album being your first pick. He embodies that.”

After one season, Warren looks like a great pick for the Colts and Loveland is a budding star in Chicago. When King opened his first news conference as assistant GM, he gave a snippet of what the Bears seek in this weekend’s draft, qualities that embody Loveland and others from that impressive 2025 draft.

“The goal by the end of the weekend is to add talent competition,” he said. “Bring the right football players and the right character into the building. I’ll leave you with this: We’re after competitors. The best players and teams I’ve been around and been on compete daily. Not just on Sundays in the fall. It takes more than talent just to win in this league in various conditions throughout the season.”

What does that look like in the scouting process? King calls it the “silent tape.”

“When you put on tape … you don’t have to read the character. You can see it,” he said. “You can see how they compete, show up in big games, pick up their teammates, raise the level of their teammates’ games. We can read everything we want — articles and all this, but what people show, what players show on tape is usually the product that you’re gonna get.”

Maybe the positive results from the 2025 draft are partly a reflection of having Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen in the room. Maybe Poles’ scouting staff has continued to refine and improve and we saw it come together. But this idea of finding “competitors” worked out.

“I think you guys all saw it,” King said. “Colston Loveland shows up every week. Luther Burden shows up in big games at critical moments. Kyle Monangai carried the load when we had to lean on him. Right? That goes to more the character than the talent. And they’re really talented.

Now they have four picks in the first 90 to add to a reigning division champion because they can’t take last year’s breakout for granted.

“I want to … help build a consistent winner here in this city,” King said. “I’ve seen lows, I’ve been highs, I’ve been in the middle. And the fact that we can steady the ship and be a part of a consistent winner here means a ton. I think it’s one of the best football cities that you can be in when you’re winning, and that’s our charge to keep it there. But that doesn’t come easy. We have to reset, we have to restock, and we’re going to have to start over. So I think Ben hit it, Ryan hit it — you know, last year’s last year.”

King, as any assistant GM would, feels good about who the Bears could draft at No. 25. If they can find someone with anywhere near the impact of Loveland, they’ll be in pretty good shape.

Bears pick up Wright’s fifth-year option

Poles confirmed that the Bears picked up the fifth-year option for right tackle Darnell Wright, the team’s 2023 first-round pick.

“We’ll work on a potential extension here in the near future,” Poles said.

The fifth-year option is projected to be $19.072 million for the 2027 season, according to Over the Cap. That takes into account Wright’s playing time. While he was a second-team All-Pro, the salary formula only factors in Pro Bowls, saving the Bears more than $4 million.

When it works out, the goal with the fifth-year option is to eventually agree on a long-term extension, which will lower the cap hit for 2027 and keep a good, homegrown player around for a while.

“Darnell has been a Day 1 starter since he’s been here,” King said. “He’s been a good player and hopefully he’ll be here for years to come.”

New spotlight for King

Eighteen years ago, King was a fifth-round pick of the Carolina Panthers. He spent eight years in the league and then began his front-office career as a scouting intern for Ryan Pace.

It’s not easy to stick around a front office from GM to GM, but King earned a spot on Poles’ staff and has now moved up to become the No. 2 and someone who could be in line to be a general manager himself one day.

Sticking around any organization for 12 seasons isn’t easy and speaks to the way King has impressed his bosses over the years.

“Coming up in multiple regimes, different roles, opportunities like this don’t always happen that way,” King said. “So I want to thank (Poles) for being open-minded, the willingness to pour into me for my growth, and the trust that you’ve placed in me. I appreciate that. And that means a lot.”

King also thanked chairman George McCaskey and president/CEO Kevin Warren, noting that this is the only team he’s been with in his “second journey” in football.

Understanding that it’s a day that involves history when Pat McCaskey presents the Piccolo Award, King did point out that the Bears have been involved in every pro football draft.

“This is our 91st (draft),” King said. “(Pat) said his favorite was the 1975 class, headlined by Walter Payton, so we have some work to do.”