Loveland, a first-round selection, missed all offseason practices while recovering from shoulder surgery, while Burden, a second-round choice, sat out most offseason workouts and the first few days of training camp with a hamstring injury. Neither rookie, however, allowed that to stop them from blossoming into a key contributor on a division championship team.
“It’s not something that happens a lot, and yet it’s not something outside of the realm,” Doyle said. “When you watch their habits and how they work every single day and you see them go out and have success on Sunday, it ties together, it makes sense.”
After averaging 1.8 catches and 19.3 yards with no touchdowns in six games played in September and October, Loveland averaged 4.1 receptions and 56.2 yards with five TDs in nine contests in November and December.
“[I’ve been] getting a couple more targets and a couple more opportunities to make plays and I’ve been doing so for the most part, which has been good,” Loveland said. “It’s been a blessing. I’ve always trusted the process, trusted coaches and trusted my teammates.”
Burden had no more than four catches in any game until his last two outings. He had six receptions for 84 yards in a win over the Browns, and after missing the overtime victory over the Packers with an ankle injury, established career highs last Sunday night in San Francisco with eight catches and 138 yards, including a 35-yard TD from Caleb Williams.
