Big Blue View
Can Loveland realize his potential in the NFL?
The tight end class in the 2025 NFL Draft is a strong and deep one. This is the second year in a row in which we’ve seen a lot of athletic and talented tight ends coming into the NFL.
Michigan’s Colston Loveland would likely be the first tight end off the board in almost any other year, yet in this year he might wind up being the third. Loveland has a prototypical build, is — as you may expect from a Michigan tight end — a good blocker, and has a lot of upside as a receiver.
The New York Giants are likely set at tight end between Theo Johnson and Daniel Bellinger. They also probably can’t invest the pick needed to draft Loveland in the tight end position. It is, however, entirely possible that he could wind up on the roster of a rival so we should be familiar with Loveland and what he brings to the field.
Prospect: Colston Loveland (18)
Games Watched: vs. Texas (2024), vs. USC (2024), vs. Illinois (2024), vs. Oregon (2024)
Red Flags: Shoulder (2024)
Best traits
Colston Loveland is a big, athletic tight end who combines receiving upside with impressive blocking skills.
Loveland is a fierce run blocker and pass protector, who gets after defenders almost as though he’s trying to start (or finish) a fight. He strains to sustain his blocks, and does so with better technique than many offensive linemen. He consistently places his hands to win inside leverage, striking hard and with good pad level, and uncoils his hips to create movement at the line of scrimmage. Loveland is able to stalemate smaller edge defenders, “lose slow” against true defensive linemen, and is an absolute menace at the second level.
He was frequently used as a move blocker, but can be an in-line blocker on the play side or back side of a run. His athleticism also makes him a capable blocker on screens and working to the second level.
Loveland is also a capable, even dangerous, receiver. He moves almost like a wide receiver, wasting no energy in his release and showing very crisp breaks. He runs a relatively diverse route tree and understands how to use his frame to be open even when covered.
He has solid ball skills as well, doing a good job of locating and tracking the ball in the air, extending to maximize his catch radius, and plucking the ball out of the air as opposed to letting it into his frame. His power and movement skills also allow him to pick up yards after the catch, and he’s willing to fight through contact to get every inch.
Worst traits
Loveland is a very well rounded tight end who should be able to step in and contribute immediately.
That said, there’s also...
