Even before either of them joined the Bears this year, offensive coordinator Declan Doyle was already familiar with tight end Colston Loveland.

As Broncos tight ends coach last season, Doyle studied the Michigan product on tape in preparation for the draft and saw a dynamic playmaker and fierce competitor.

"I got to watch Colston a little bit right at the end of last year and I was like, 'Man, I would love to be able to coach this guy,'" Doyle said at this weekend's Bears rookie minicamp. "It just so happens that I end up here and we end up acquiring him and we're certainly excited about the competitiveness, the person."

According to the Bears offensive coordinator, Loveland's competitiveness jumped off his tape.

"You see him finishing at a high rate and you'll see him jaw a little bit at whoever he is playing against," Doyle said. "The biggest thing that stands out is just his ability to finish and his willingness to play through the whistle."

Doyle was equally impressed with what he saw on film from receiver Luther Burden III, a Missouri product the Bears chose in the second round of the draft.

"He's an explosive athlete," Doyle said. "He's really exciting. His tape was really impressive in college. He's a playmaker, and when the ball's in his hands, he was one of the best guys that we evaluated in this process."

Burden showed his explosiveness late in Friday's practice when he hauled in a deep pass on a post route. Another skill position player who stood out during rookie minicamp was seventh-round pick Kyle Monangai, a running back from Rutgers.

"He's a very physical player," Doyle said. "He's very willing. And then the best about him that translates is that he's a consummate pro. The last couple of days we've been able to meet with these guys, he's front and center. He's taking notes. He's attentive. We're asking questions of the group and he's answering. I think he's going to carry himself that way. I think that guys who do handle themselves that way give themselves a shot."

Monangai was ultra-productive at Rutgers, rushing for 1,262 yards and eight touchdowns in 2023 and 1,279 yards and 13 TDs in 2024.

Some were surprised that Monangai wasn't drafted until the seventh round, but being overlooked is something that he's experienced since he first started playing football.

"I was never always talked about in the top guys usually, from Pop Warner to middle school, high school, college, and then now even," Monagai said. "So it's not a new space, it's not a new environment for me. It's a role that I embrace, something that I take on. And I think it's honestly what's made me the player I am. It's given me the fuel, the motivation to be the running back I am."

Monangai believes that concentrating on "the little details" has been and will continue to be integral to his success.

"Everyone's talented and everyone's got the certain things that are necessary to be a football player," he said. "It's the little details that makes the great guys great, that allows them to see the results they see. I've got to figure out what those things are for me [in the NFL]. I've got a little idea, but now that I'm here I get to fine tune those things and figure them out and apply them to my game."