Bears

Bears TE Colston Loveland enters his second year after a strong rookie campaign that finished with 58 receptions for 713 yards and six touchdowns. Loveland is ready for a larger role in 2026 and believes Chicago has enough offensive weapons to remain successful. 

“I think we’ve got weapons all over,” Loveland said, via NFL.com. “I know we’ve got weapons all over. Obviously losing (Bills WR) DJ (Moore), that hurts. Good for him, he’s in a situation now. But we’ve got (WR) Rome (Odunze), (WR) Luther Burden III, (WR) Kalif (Raymond), we’ve got guys that can go out there and make a play at any time. So, whether I have to take more (of a work) load or whatever. Maybe some games I take more, or they take more some games, it’s just how it goes. You play it by ear. So, the best thing to do is to always be ready. Always be ready to take a (share of the work) load if you need to and do what you’re told and do what you’re asked.”

Loveland feels more familiar heading into next season after a full year to learn HC Ben Johnson‘s playbook. 

“I’ve had a year under my belt, similar playbook, you don’t have to come learn a new playbook,” Loveland said. “You know the guys, you know the system, you know how everything’s ran. So it’s, like you said, it’s a head start. But, having a pretty good year last year and it being not a rookie anymore, you can’t make the little mistakes, you can’t slack at all. A new standard is set. Just have to burst through that and just keep growing it. But I feel really good and obviously got a great group, great group of guys around me, great coaches, great staff to put us in the best position. So, just have to go out there and work.”

Bears GM Ryan Poles has been impressed by Loveland’s work ethic and believes he’ll continue to become a leader. 

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

Bears

Bears GM Ryan Poles spoke about selecting Oregon S Dillon Thieneman with their first-round pick, but also raised eyebrows with an incorrect comment about the team’s defensive line, as the team led the league in interceptions despite having one of the league’s worst pass rushes.

“Just the sense of urgency that he plays with, the speed,” Poles said, via BearsWire.com. “We talk about taking the air out of the defense or out of the offense. His ability to close on the football, both in the run and the pass, stood out really, really quick. As we watched it, the comments you could hear: This guy is obsessed with football, plays fast. He’s extremely smart, great leader and violent in the way that he plays the game. Everything that we’re looking for. Then on top of that, you have some versatility. If he has to, he can go over and play a little bit of nickel. He can play free (safety). He can play strong (safety). Really good fit for what we’re trying to do.”

“The [defensive] line helps the back end more often than not,” Poles added. “In this situation, we have good corners and good safeties. We can be in a position where we can have the [opposing] quarterback hold the ball a little longer.”

Lions

Lions GM Brad Holmes noted that he has had his eye on drafting OT Blake Miller for years and feels there is a lot of room for growth as he begins his professional career.

“He probably has no idea, but we’ve been watching Blake for about three years now and he has gotten better every single year, and that’s what makes you really excited about a player like that who has a high floor but has gotten better every year,” Holmes said, via Pro Football Talk. “Coming to this level with our offensive line coach and our ecosystem, I don’t see any reason he won’t continue to get better. In ’24, watching his ’23 tape. The first thing I saw was his urgency and athleticism, which was the first thing that caught my eye. . . . I just wrote down, ‘This kid’s a football player,’ and I was definitely hot on the guy. We definitely explored strongly about trading up, and seeing how it started to fall, probably after L.A. took the quarterback, I felt pretty good that we might be able to just get Blake. Right about 14, I felt pretty good that we would be able to keep our assets and still get Blake.”