Bears’ Colston Loveland makes NFL history before ever playing a snap for Chicago

Billy Heyen

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Bears’ Colston Loveland makes NFL history before ever playing a snap for Chicago image

Colston Loveland is hoping to have a long and successful NFL career with the Chicago Bears.

But the No. 10 overall pick in last week's NFL Draft has already made some history.

Loveland is only the fourth NFL player ever drafted who played high school football in the state of Idaho.

Of those, he's the highest-ever pick, per ESPN.

"I asked him about his hand strength, because not only can you see it when he catches the ball but when he blocks, and he was like, 'Have you ever put up wire fence in Idaho before?'" Bears GM Ryan Poles told ESPN. "I said, 'No.' But, that explains (a lot). He's been doing some labor that kind of makes him who he is. When you watch the tape, you can see that. And when you all meet him, you'll see that as well."

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Loveland is from Gooding, Idaho.

It's a town of 3,800, and Loveland grew up with lots of time on the farm.

He clearly had enough time to become a football star, too, eventually going to Michigan to shine for the Wolverines.

At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, Loveland is expected to be an early contributor in new head coach Ben Johnson's offense.

 

"All of the things we are trying to build here, he encompasses that as a person," Bears senior director of player personnel Jeff King said. "Not even getting to the field yet, you talk about the cover of the album being your first pick. He embodies that."

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Billy Heyen

Billy Heyen is a freelance writer with The Sporting News. He is a 2019 graduate of Syracuse University who has written about many sports and fantasy sports for The Sporting News. Sports reporting work has also appeared in a number of newspapers, including the Sandusky Register and Rochester Democrat & Chronicle