There's one hidden reason that the Colston Loveland pick makes so much sense for the Bears

Other than the Jacksonville Jaguars trading up to No. 2 to select do-everything Heisman winner Travis Hunter, there weren't many surprises in the top 10 picks of the NFL Draft. The Tennessee Titans did what everyone expected and took Cam Ward to be their quarterback of the future. Ashton Jeanty went to the Las Vegas Raiders to give Pete Carroll what he hopes will be Marshawn Lynch 2.0. Everything pretty much went to plan, at least, that is, until it was the Chicago Bears' turn to pick at No. 10.

By all accounts, the Bears were hoping that Jeanty or Mason Graham fell to them, but that dream was dashed in the first six picks. The top three offensive linemen were also gone, leaving Chicago in a tough position. Should they pivot to an edge rusher? Should they trade down to gain an extra pick or two? Quite a few mock drafts had the Bears taking tight end Tyler Warren, and he was still out there, so maybe that was the move.

The Bears did take a tight end, but when Roger Goodell read the name out, it wasn't the one that fans expected. Instead of Warren, it was Michigan tight end Colston Loveland.

Loveland has risen up draft boards recently, with some people even ranking him above Warren as the top tight end in the draft. The pick was still a surprise, though. Personally, I thought that general manager Ryan Poles would trade down a few spots to a team that was in love with Warren or even a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders or Jaxson Dart, then take a defensive player later since many of the edge rushers available were ranked similarly.

Now that Bears fans have had some time to marinate on the pick, it seems that the fanbase is almost universally on board. Loveland is a big, fluid athlete that can run the entire route tree and make difficult catches. He can line up all over and block in the running game. In short, he looks to be the next Sam LaPorta, a guy that Johnson had great success with in his time as Lions offensive coordinator.

It's incredibly exciting to envision Loveland alongside the other weapons on the Bears' offense. Caleb Williams can now throw to DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, Kmet and Loveland, and the man overseeing the entire operation is one of the brightest offensive minds in the game. Suffice it to say, there are going to be a lot of points being scored at Soldier Field next year, especially after the Bears improved their offensive line in such a meaningful way in March.

There's one hidden reason why the Bears chose Colston Loveland

Two different friends of mine that are huge Michigan fans texted me after the Bears took Loveland, and both said, in essence, the same thing: "This guy's a beast and you're going to love him." I was skeptical at first, but I've already come around, partly because of my friends' words, partly because I have faith in Poles and Johnson, and partly because of things like this:

You know what, let's just get the season started already, because I'm ready to run through a wall. Here's another one:

Any time you pick what looks to be a great player in the draft, it's a win. But the Bears were smart here for another reason. Yes they have needs on the offensive and defensive lines, and they'd love to get a better running back than D'Andre Swift. Guess what though? There are tons of guys at all three spots that will be available when they make their 39th and 41st overall selections on Friday night. What they wouldn't have in Round 2 is a chance to grab somone that they deemed to be the best tight end in the draft.

If the Bears want an edge rusher, there's a good chance that multiple guys from the Mike Green, Donovan Ezeiruaku, JT Tuimoloau, Nic Scourton group will be there, along with half-a-dozen other intriguing possibilities. If they want to continue fortifying the offensive line, Aireontae Ersery, Jonah Savaiinaea and Tate Ratledge all have big potential and are still available. There are also a wealth of running backs to be had, such as the Ohio State duo of Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson, plus Kaleb Johnson and Cam Skattebo.

Fantasy players know all about positional scarcity. That's why Travis Kelce has been so valuable all these years, because he's so far above the other tight ends on average. It's why catchers like Buster Posey and Mike Piazza have been so valuable over the years in fantasy baseball. Hell, it's why Pokemon collectors go crazy over old Charizard cards. There just aren't that many of them out there.

Having a true weapon at tight end gives an offense a huge built-in advantage, and it's not like the Bears are hurting at the other skills positions. When it comes to the draft though, just as in fantasy, there's tremendous value in grabbing the top guy at his position instead of another player that is difficult to distinguish from 10 other guys. One of those guys will be available later. A guy like Loveland won't.

Under past regimes, when the Bears made a pick that I didn't understand, I usually continued to not understand it well past draft day, and often into the season and the years to come (please don't take this personally, Kevin White). With Poles and Johnson running the show, I feel like I'm in good hands. Bring on Round 2.