NFL Draft: Remember The Tight Ends 2025 Class Rankings
The end of the process is near for one of the best TE classes in recent memory
Scouting this class has been a joy. With two potential superstars at the top, 3-4 more guys with plus starter upside, and a bunch of interesting rotational guys/possible projects, it has something for every team. Ranking them was in places, difficult. At the top, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are just outstanding. I think they’re both up there with Brock Bowers as prospects and they’re both complete players. They have different flavors which we’ll dive into later, but they’ve It’s important that you can play every down and be on the field in 11 personnel, so blocking in-line, or at least the potential to develop it, is non-negotiable. As we’ve discussed, guys that can’t have to pass the “Wide Receiver Test” and occupy that role if they want to play a lot. This was taken heavily into account, but there are still guys who fall below that threshold that could be useful in a rotational capacity. With extensions for guys like Drew Sample, John Bates, and Brock Wright, as well as the relatively high draft capital used on Tip Reiman, the market for block-first types is bustling. It’s not hard to figure out why when looking at the direction of NFL offense. This class has several interesting ones. Let’s cut the preamble and get to the class.
The Top 10
1: Tyler Warren, Penn State (6’5, 256)
If you follow me on Twitter, you know I’m in alignment with the consensus on this one. Tyler Warren is a unicorn. As I discussed in my most recent piece explaining the Y and F roles:
The ultimate value you could ever be lucky enough to come across at the TE position is a guy who is an elite in-line blocker that can make serious plays and do WR things in the passing game. That’s how you get situations like this. You can’t just put a WR at the Y and game the system because defenses have checks for that, knowing there’s no in-line blocking to honor. All you generally have to be is passable/competent in-line to get these matchups without hurting the overall offense (substantially), but the guys that can do it while ADDING to the run game without need for sheltering as legitimate forces…they are hydrogen bombs you can aim at coughing babies in the pass game as a result. That edge has to be earned, but it’s why TEs can be true matchup nightmares. It’s not because they’re big normal WRs like broadcasters say all the time, but because schematically there’s no way for a defense to simultaneously account for a single body out of 11 that is both a 6th OL and a 4th WR.
I was thinking about Tyler Warren when I wrote that. At Penn State, Warren somehow expanded it. Yes he dominated as a blocker and carried their passing game as a receiver, but he was a wildcat RB too, he snapped the ball on a play he caught a TD, he completed several passes. Christian McCaffrey took RB versatility beyond just carrying the ball, catching the ball, and pass-protecting at Stanford, Warren did the same at TE for the Nittany Lions in their run to the National Semifinal. For his efforts, he won the greatest award in college football (the Mackey) and finished 7th in Heisman voting. It all starts in-line for big number 44, where his blocking technique has developed and refined to an NFL level, only surpassed by his raw violence and people-moving power. He’s just as comfortable pinning an end inside and moving them off the ball in downhill schemes as he is turning him out or reaching him on the move in outside zone. His arm length is frankly underwhelming, but his fire off the ball, hand technique, and strength should overcome it. That credibility in-line makes him an impossible matchup in the passing game, because he is a freak of nature. Warren’s biggest weakness is his lack of detail and deception as a route-runner. While I’m confident this will develop over time, he has that George Kittle quality of being a bull shot out of a cannon directly into a china shop as a receiver. His burst is jaw-dropping, he changes direction like no 260-pounder ever should, and he’s just far too athletic for linebackers to match up with the same way Kittle is. Details be damned, your run defense bodies cannot cover him and your DBs can’t handle the size. Once he gets the ball in his hands, that’s when he becomes most dangerous. He has the long speed and acceleration to burst through seams and create chunks and the agility to break ankles. As a defender, you’re lucky if he chooses those options instead of putting you on the hood. If he can develop a bit more of an ability to feel defenders and maximize his leverage as a route-runner like George Kittle did, he may find himself as the heir to his place in this league.
Round Grade: Top 5-10
Player Comparison: George Kittle
2: Colston Loveland, Michigan (6’6, 248)
Loveland is a guy who could probably pass the WR test but doesn’t even need to. A month or so ago I took some time out from the Draft process to go study Drake London a bit, and I kept seeing Colston Loveland. Neither guy is truly WR fast, but they’re incredibly detailed route-runners with quick feet who rule the middle of the field in the underneath and intermediate zones. Loveland though, is 6’6 and probably plays at around 255. He measured in bigger and longer than I expected (33 inch arms) in Indianapolis, which has me rethinking the level of upside he could achieve as an in-line blocker. I was always confident he could get to a level where he could play every down, make tough blocks, and credibly create those huge advantages at the Y, but if he spends a lot of time perfecting it he could be really good, rather than just serviceable. As you see above, the technique can be inconsistent with some uneven hand placement, but he’s better than most in this class and when he gets it right, he crushes it. Think of his blocking upside more as Dallas Goedert, who is excellent in that respect, than Sam LaPorta, who is just good enough. Loveland has his PhD in breaking down defenders in the route, with a vast repertoire of steps and handwork, great understanding of defender positioning, and the movement skills to turn it into separation. He works the seams at an elite level, reading coverages and bending into space to make himself available consistently. On the outside, he’s got great feet and hands (and of course mass) to get off the line if defenders press while working into defender blind spots in the stem and creating separation on out-breakers like an X. He does a nice job varying his approach against press and loose coverage respectively as you see in those Maryland clips. This is a guy who is a plus at all 3 WR spots and if you have another in-line guy, allows you to run your whole passing game from 12 the way prime Travis Kelce and Mark Andrews did while giving you a weapon on the LOS in the run game (unlike those guys). He may follow the Kelce path of abandoning blocking to truly master the power-slot role, which would only happen if he’s good enough to be great at it. If he’s anything short of that, he can be a real TE and a great one like Trey McBride, who blocks in-line at a solid level. Even after everything I just said about Tyler Warren, you’re not crazy if you have this guy at number 1.
Round Grade: Mid 1st
Player Comparison: Trey McBride
3: Terrance Ferguson, Oregon (6’5, 247)
Ferguson has knocked the pre-draft process out of the park. He stayed at Oregon to chase a National Title this past year despite enjoying some buzz out of a breakout 2023 season. Though that came up short, Ferguson did nothing to diminish his stock and had another excellent year in Eugene. He was the star of the position at the Combine, running a 4.63 and jumping 39” in the vertical and 10’2” in the broad. Ferguson didn’t do agility drills, but one glance at his tape shows you that he didn’t need to. The quickness in his feet is his big strength as a route-runner, allowing him to work underneath zones at a high level and create after the catch. While he doesn’t explode out of breaks, which is the thing keeping him from being a true superstar, he has enough nimbleness to separate and be reliable. In-line, he has potential but one big thing to work on. First and foremost he’s a big lunger, getting his shoulders overextended and head too far foward which prevents him from controlling and driving defenders. I don’t think it’s a strength issue as his lower-half is pretty strong and he anchors well in pass-pro. As a result, if this can be corrected I think he can get to a level where you can pencil him into an every-down role. The athletic profile is fantastic, he has a record of production, he’s a versatile pass-catcher, and he has untapped upside. Ferguson is considered a sleeper by many, but the league may not be asleep.
Round Grade: Early to Mid 2nd
Player Comparison: Dalton Schultz
4: Mason Taylor, LSU (6’5, 251)
Mason Taylor’s best football may yet be ahead of him, but the football behind him is pretty damn good. I had real difficulty separating him and Ferguson so consider them in a virtual tie. Taylor is the greatest TE to ever play in Baton Rouge, a 3-year starter who was one of the best players on his offense from day 1. As a receiver, Taylor is built to win from in-tight. He’s a smooth strider who covers ground efficiently which helps him work behind linebackers and stretch the seams. He’s a straighter-line route runner, excelling on things like those seams, sails, and overs, making him a weapon on PA. While he has good sink in the hips to get into and out of breaks, he doesn’t have the lightest of feet and is less-suited to flexing into the slot. He struggles to make defenders miss which limits his upside a bit in the underneath areas but his feel for space still makes him a reliable chain-mover there. Taylor tested well at his pro day, running a 4.65 in the 40 with a solid 7.06 3-cone. Because he is such a pure TE as a receiver, Taylor will especially need to translate in-line. He’s young, just 20, so he’s likely to get stronger. As it stands, Taylor is a pretty damn good in-line run-blocker for a college TE. He’s a bit inconsistent, sometimes letting defenders into his face and chest, but anchors well and plays with good weight distribution, balance, and hand-placement. He’s really shined blocking outside-zone, which LSU almost exclusively ran right behind him in his final season. There is reason to believe that Taylor may get much, much better. In addition to his age, Taylor showed separation and explosiveness as a flexed receiver at the Senior Bowl that he did not put on tape. He looked more confident and athletic, and was uncoverable overall in both team periods and 1v1 drills. Additionally, he was more dominant at the catch point than we saw in college. There may be more to come.
Round Grade: 2nd
Player Comparison: Heath Miller
5: Gunnar Helm, Texas (6’5, 241**)
Helm’s patience paid off in 2024, ascending to the top of the depth chart and enjoying a massive breakout year. Everything about Helm’s game as a receiver is smooth. He’s such an easy strider who sinks beautifully into and out of breaks. He’s similar to Taylor in a lot of ways, a straight-line smooth machine used best on seams, overs, and sails from an attached alignment. He’s probably not gonna flex out and route up DBs as a WR, but he’s such a master of the true TE pass-catching repertoire. He is a zone coverage destroyer in the middle, cannot be covered by LBs, and is very dangerous off PA. The difference between he and Taylor though is that he is shifty after the catch, which makes him a better underneath chain-mover. His raw athleticism is worse than Taylor, and overall his upside is probably inferior given his older age. As a blocker, he is a complete project. As you can see above his hand placement and balance are usually a total mess, which allows defenders to easily disengage. It’s not all bleak though. He’s big and strong, and when he does get the technique right he displays the requisite power and anchor to control defenders. Like with Ferguson, anytime a TE anchors well in pass-pro, he has the lower half to be a good run-blocker if you can just fix the technique. That’s the big if that will determine whether Helm is a solid starting Y or a depth player. We do have to talk about his combine. His 40 was awful, especially at 241 which is a slimmed-down testing weight, not the weight he plays at which is probably closer to 250-255. Famously at this point though, he sprained his ankle out of the gate on his first run, poisoning the results. It was nasty too, we all saw that picture he posted.
His agility scores, again post-injury were pretty good. He posted a 7.15 3-cone and a 4.4 shuttle. Doing that with an ankle that looks more like a grapefruit is rather remarkable and I imagine his real agility scores are excellent. His 40 I imagine sits in the low 4.7s. He did his vertical, however, pre-injury and recorded a brutal 30” jump. He also felt the need to slim down considerably to test, so overall he’s probably not winning any sprints and the testing can be considered a mixed-bag and unknown. The tape though shows someone who can give you a solid secondary pass-catcher and starter. It’s up to his future TE coach and the blocking sleds at the facility to determine what kind of role he can command.
Round Grade: 3rd
Player Comparison: Cole Kmet
6: Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame (6’5, 258)
Before a slow start to his 2024 season caused by a lengthy injury recovery, Evans was viewed as someone who could vault himself into early day-2 status. By the end of the season, the real Mitchell Evans had returned. A big weapon on Notre Dame’s run to the final, Mitchell Evans seems to be back on that trajectory, only without the hype and round value. This presents a huge opportunity for teams to come away with a steal. Evans is a huge body at 6’5, 260, which more than checks the box and makes him a serious in-line presence. The particulars need to be developed a little bit, as his hand placement is inconsistent, but he doesn’t struggle the way Helm and Ferguson do, he should be a good one. As a receiver, Evans has exciting fluidity and agility for a guy his size and is able to separate well on both in and out-breakers while using his body to box out and make tough catches. He’s a football vacuum who catches everything. Despite a poor vertical, his positioning, strength, and hands make him dangerous at the catch-point. He needs to develop a bit more control as a mover and feel for defenders, as he runs into coverage defenders more than you’d like and gets himself rerouted and slowed up. If he develops that feel, he has a chance to be a legitimately high-end receiver at the Y on the level (and style) of someone like Todd Heap. He’s a solid athlete for his size, posting a 7.17 RAS with his only truly poor score being the vertical. You’d hope that his athleticism is a touch better as he distances from his injury recovery, which clearly impacted him this past season until the end. That leads into the real concern with Evans, the injuries. In 2022 he broke his foot during offseason workouts, which delayed his breakout. In 2023, his breakout season ended prematurely with a torn ACL. He admits he rushed back from that in 2024 (hence the slow start) but looks to be okay now. Hopefully this is more of an early Aaron Judge injury prone-ness than an Erick All injury prone-ness, with two unrelated injuries including a broken bone rather than consistent soft-tissue or joint issues in recurring areas. I don’t see enough of a reason YET to think that it’s a big enough red flag to overrule the tape and suppress his grade.
Round Grade: 3rd
Player Comparison: Tyler Higbee
7: Elijah Arroyo, Miami (6’4, 251)
Arroyo has raw materials that you drool over. He’s big enough, fluid in the hips, a controlled mover, and above all he is fast. Arroyo’s speed, both raw and practical, is tantalizing and made him an effective vertical threat for the Canes last year. He stretches the middle of the field well, but he has the speed and flexibility to play credibly on the outside as well, which will increase if he develops well. With him, it’s both important and encouraging to watch the tape in order. Early on last year he struggled a lot to negotiate defenders and avoid contact in his routes which limited him heavily to dressed-up stuff into the flat. Sometime around Georgia Tech though, his feel improved massively and he became a much more consistent target in the middle of the field. Miami’s offense is very straight-liney in the passing game, they use the seams heavily and with the development in his timing and avoidance of contact, Arroyo became a weapon there. Additionally, he was dangerous on slot-fades with his speed and size against both DBs and LBs. The problem is that his blocking is disastrous. Unlike Ferguson who has one or two minor technique issues to clean up, Arroyo is going to be a complete hatchet job to develop in-line. Miami did not like to run the ball when he was at the Y, which made them predictable at times on top of existing predictability with a poor run game overall. They would often take him off the field for Van Wilder himself Cam McCormick for blocking, which is not something you can have if you’re going to be worthy of a pick on the first two days of the draft. It’s possible to develop it, Miami certainly wasn’t going to drill the details in the run game, but it’s very Noah Fant-ish and probably much worse. Additionally worrisome is his injury history. He lost the better parts of both 2022 and 2023 to a catastrophic left ACL injury and has had nagging knee stuff pop up during the draft process which is why he didn’t test in Indy. He has probably the biggest range of outcomes of any player in this class at a position notorious for ranges of outcomes. If he can’t stay healthy it’s all up in smoke. If he can stay healthy, continue developing as a receiver, and figure out how to block at least passably in-line, he will be a star who can line up at TE and all three WR spots. If he can stay healthy but doesn’t develop in-line, I think he will be limited to a 12 personnel rotational role, but can be a nice situational weapon and matchup issue in that capacity as a field stretcher. I think this is the most Likely ;) option.
Round Grade: 4th
Player Comparison: Isaiah Likely
8: Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech (6’3, 260)
The Arizona State transfer is one of the real weirdo evaluations you get at this position. His body is weird, his usage is weird, and his skillset is weird. None of that is necessarily a bad thing. I actually quite like the frame. He’s not tall, but he has elite mass and elite arm length. There’s reason to believe that with proper development he can be a stud in-line. He has the mindset of the Undertaker and borders on dirty at times (ie kicking a guy on a base block and trying to flip a guy over his shoulder in pass-protection). That can be harnessed, none of that is necessarily bad either. He has some really impressive moments where he moves people off the line and clears the edge. That’s great, but when you combine it with his fantastic athletic testing and seriously juiced-up ability to produce highlights in the passing game and as a ballcarrier, it’s an exciting package of ingredients. He can go above the rim and win at the catch point, he has good hip-flexibility, and he’s a matchup issue for LBs and Safeties when playing at the Y. If he can be kept in good shape and develop some more feel and polish as a route-runner, he can be a plus every-down player as your starting TE. It’s just a matter of putting the ingredients together.
Round Grade: 4th-5th
Player Comparison: Daniel Graham
9: Oronde Gadsden II, Syracuse (6’4, 243)
Oronde Gadsden was born to be a receiver. His father was an NFL receiver and he tried to follow, but decided a position switch would be his best path to the field in the future. The vestiges of his time as an effective college WR are still in his game. He’s a natural route-runner with good timing and feel, getting into and out of breaks nicely and being a reliable target both in the slot and outside. While he exits college closer to a WR than a TE, he’s steadily gaining weight and has a lot of frame still yet to fill. Obviously in-line it’s a disaster right now, but if he can get up to 250 and develop properly who knows what could happen. Just look at Josh Oliver, who not only entered the draft an eerily similar player and frame to Gadsden, but ended up becoming THE best in-line blocker in the NFL. While I definitely don’t expect that, the theory here is that a guy with legitimate WR route-running skills and the raw frame to become a real TE could be a worthwhile set of tools to develop. If he falls short, there’s every chance for him to still be a useful heavy personnel rotational pass-catcher and 3rd down TE. He’s put up legit production in the P5, he’s reliable, and he knows how to get open in a variety of ways. It may take a couple of years, but there may be a nice payout.
Round Grade: 4th
Player Comparison: Juwan Johnson
10: Harold Fannin Jr, Bowling Green (6’3, 241**)
A famously difficult evaluation where the numbers and our eyes tell us very different stories. We have to get something out of the way first though. The likelihood that Fannin becomes an even viable in-line player is virtually nothing. He has bulked up to 241 (still incredibly undersized) during the draft process, but it’s taken a bit of his athletic ability, looking unnatural and slow at the Senior Bowl against peer competition. As a result, it’s more likely that he will play closer to 230 or 235, though some more naturally-carried long term weight-gain up to where he’s at now may be in the cards. The fact is though that he’s too small to play a real TE role and will be limited to a 12 personnel rotational role. That’s already going to push you out of premium pick territory like some want for him, but he has further limitations that make that questionable. Let’s start with the good though. He had an incredible season as the entire Bowling Green offense. They made sure that he touched the ball whenever possible, manufacturing a ton of screens, RPOs, run-action targets, and even carries. The reason Fannin was able to command such volume is that his agility is legit. He shakes and changes direction at a high level almost like a RB, which has made him dangerous with the ball in his hands against MAC defenders and effective on quick movement routes like choices, sticks, stick-nods, and glances. This and the amount they funneled him the ball (they really didn’t have another FBS-level eligible receiver on the team) created the conditions for a massive season. As a blocker, Fannin was largely a negative, with much of his receiving production coming from a favorable Y role despite never being used in-line in the run game, harming their ground attack to game his matchups. Despite being okay when climbing to support or leading to linebackers, the lack of ability to play heavy even in 12 was a major limitation that BG’s OC had to work around. The extent of his work against DEs was crackdown perimeter seals that WRs do. His limitations are not just in the formation. While he does have nice agility, he isn’t fast out of breaks and doesn’t have any long-speed. Most concerningly, he is as rigid in the hips as you will ever see a productive receiver which, in the NFL, crosses off an enormous retinue of routes that are especially important if he is going to be a flex player. His receiving skillset is most translatable to running backs like Alvin Kamara who work into the flats and shake up linebackers on choice routes all day. He’s just not a player you’re going to consistently take a WR off the field for without significantly restricting your passing game for minimal blocking add. With all of this in mind, I think there is a role that works for him. A player like this is only useful if they are respected by defenses as a blocker and can work on linebackers in coverage instead of nickels. The only way for Fannin to do that is to be modified into a Kyle Jusczyck-style flex FB. Even with the smaller body, true 2-back runs are much harder to fit from nickel as the momentum created on lead blocks is more difficult for them to absorb than if that small body is on the line. More importantly, a FB in the backfield can insert and create an extra gap anywhere in the formation in a way a TE or slot can’t, as a result, it becomes more important to honor them as a box body, keeping defenses more honest in the box, they can cheat when they know it’s 2x2 or 3x1. Heavy personnel is just practically heavier from 21 than it is from a small 12. You can’t really align to a good i-formation run game the way you can a typical 2x2 or 3x1 singleback set. If the rest of the elements in the run game are good, they’ll have to answer it with base. If Fannin is in this role, which I do think he can be taught to block well, you can move him around like Jusczyck and use him as a tertiary target and matchup issue.
Like so. I don’t think he can flex out as a big-slot type but I do think he can do things like this. Additionally if defenses do answer with base, you can get him working choice routes on linebackers like he belongs doing. From here you can still flex him to 2nd TE or the slot whenever you want the way SF does with Jusczyck. It’s a narrow path, but it’s his path, which is why the best landing spot for Fannin is SF, Miami, or Seattle where the coordinators have experience with Jusczyck and players like him. It’s still a rotational role, but a cool one.
Round Grade: 4th-5th
Player Comparison: Kyle Jusczyck+
The Next Few
11: Gavin Bartholomew, Pitt (6’5, 245)
Bartholomew was a productive 4-year player for Pitt. He didn’t do much at the Senior Bowl and is a bit small, so I was surprised to turn on the tape and see the quality of blocker that I saw. While I think he’s a little stiff in the shoulders and hips, he’s a smooth mover, slick after the catch, has solid speed (4.70) and reliable hands. His in-line ability is what makes him a possible starter in the league though. He does a great job with his hands and gets his hips back and behind him. He and Clemson star DE TJ Parker (265) had a war this past year which is a great data point against an NFL talent.
Both in the run game and pass-protection, Pitt let him sink or swim with no help and he held his own. If Bartholomew can develop a bit as a route-runner he can be an above-average starter. If not, he can still be a live body in both the run and pass game.
Round Grade: 5th
Player Comparison: Tyler Conklin
12: Moliki Matavao, UCLA (6’5, 265)
Matavao is someone I was very high on early in the process but has had his stock cooled by a so-so combine (4.81 40). His size is outstanding and in increasing demand in the league. His production was outstanding when you adjust for the dysfunction of his passing game, wherein TE production is usually the most statistically sensitive indicator. He put up 41 catches for 506 yards and 2 TDs a year ago in a huge breakout and when you turn on the tape you can see why. He is very natural out of breaks and while he is too big to have too much short-area quickness, he’s a good stretcher of the 2nd level. He has issues at times avoiding contact which he will get away with less and less in the NFL. His blocking is why he isn’t in the top 10. While his size and raw strength give him every tool necessary to be a great in-line people mover, his hand technique is atrocious. He consistently places them too wide and allows defenders to control him. It’s a bit hard to truly get fully excited about someone you have to teach to block at 265 with athleticism concerns, but there’s still reason to be.
Round Grade: 6th-7th
Player Comparison: Will Dissly
13: CJ Dippre, Alabama (6’4 260)
Nobody will have any delusions about what CJ Dippre is, but he just so happens to be the type of TE that the NFL desperately needs. Dippre is one of the best blockers in this class and an immediate part of the run game of whichever team drafts him. As I mentioned earlier, the market for these guys is bustling. Dippre is compact and big, with great leverage, leg drive, hand technique, and a great mindset. I spoke to Dippre at the Senior Bowl about his blocking repertoire and he takes great pride in the most difficult parts of it, specifically sealing the frontside on gap schemes where you have to drive and move somebody. If you listen to TEs talk enough you can tell the guys who play the platitudes but want to talk about catching the ball (Michael Mayer’s combine comments) from the guys who really get it and Dippre is among the latter. His arm length causes him issues at times but it’s not something that can’t be overcome in the NFL, as someone with his exact size profile is one of the best in-line run game engineers in the NFL (Detroit’s Brock Wright). Athletically there is more than you even require from a player of his nature and role. He ran a 4.69 and jumped 10 feet even in the broad. On tape there’s a little bit of ability to pop in the seam and get upfield on checkdowns and action passes into the flat. All he has to do is run and catch more than a 6th OL and there’s every reason to believe he can do that. Dippre will be a key role-player on NFL rosters for a long time.
Round Grade: 6th-7th
Player Comparison: Drew Sample
14: Jackson Hawes, Georgia Tech (6’4 252)
Hawes has a similar profile to Dippre, a little bit smaller but a little bit more….unhinged. Considered by many to be the single best blocker in the class, Hawes fit perfectly in a Georgia Tech offense that is built first, second, and third around a diverse and well-oiled ground game. Hawes is a bit more controlled laterally as a blocker than Dippre in an offense that runs a ton more outside zone, which has him sharp with tempo and balance on the move. He does a great job with his hands and the violence overcomes his less-than-ideal size (for a blocker) and arm-length. Hawes isn’t quite the same athlete as Dippre and has no receiving production, but he’s tough to tackle and his lateral movement may translate a little bit on manufactured touches off of the run game.
Round Grade: 6th-7th
Player Comparison: Johnny Mundt
15: Luke Lachey, Iowa (6’6, 251)
Luke Lachey is a sad case of the impact injuries have on developing athletes. If the real Luke Lachey were allowed to enter this draft, he would be a first-round pick and a clear number 3 ahead of Ferguson and Taylor. He has great size to project in-line but had the control, detail, quickness, and fluidity as a route-runner to flex to all 3 WR spots as well. He was just as good on the straight-line up and over stuff as he was underneath in the short-area in addition to being a monster at the catch-point. Lachey was never productive in volume, but nobody is at Iowa. In his first year back from a serious ankle injury, subsequent surgery, and rehab, Lachey looked like he lost a lot of juice on tape.
Just look at how different the same route looks before and after. The combine reflected that. While his vert and broad were terrific (35” and 10’ respectively), the 7.18 3-cone is not reflective of what he was. Unfortunately, you can’t assume it will come back and if it doesn’t, he’s not a dominant enough in-line blocker like the above guys to carve out that kind of role. If distance from the injury brings the real Luke Lachey back, he has the opportunity to be the steal of all steals. It just can’t be assumed.
Round Grade: 6th-7th
Player Comparison: Adam Trautman (if he stays the way he is now athletically)
Great read, a bit gutted that it's very unlikely I'll be able to land either of the top guys with the picks I have in my 3 leagues, unless I trade back from 1.01
Max, Amazing! As a former college TE this is the position I always enjoy watching and reading about. I run a NY Jets FB page and the members absolutely love your work.