Pats Pulpit
Lachey projects as a late-round selection in this year’s draft.
With Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper both back in 2025, the New England Patriots tight end position is in some able hands. However, there are questions about both the depth behind them and the long-term outlook at the position.
If the Patriots want to address both, they can look at what is considered a deep draft at tight end. One of the later-round options to keep an eye on is Luke Lachey out of Iowa.
Name: Luke Lachey
Position: Tight end
School: Iowa
Opening day age: 24 (6/29/2001)
Measurements: 6’5 3/4”, 251 lbs, 78 3/8” wingspan, 32 1/8” arm length, 10” hand size, 35.0” vertical jump, 10’0” broad jump, 4.47s short shuttle, 7.18s 3-cone drill, 8.72 Relative Athletic Score
Career statistics: 43 games (24 starts) | 1,616 offensive snaps, 84 special teams snaps | 111 targets, 74 catches (66.7%), 877 yards, 4 TDs | 3 drops (2.7%), 1 fumble
Accolades: Honorable mention All-Big Ten (2024), Academic All-Big Ten (2021, 2022, 2023, 2024)
A four-year letterman as a wide receiver, tight end and defensive back at Grandview Heights High School in his Ohio hometown, Lachey was a three-star recruit entering the college ranks. The son of former first-round draft pick Jim Lachey eventually ended up at Iowa, where he spent five seasons and appeared in 43 games with 24 starts.
Lachey started off as a redshirt freshman before settling into a blocking tight end role from Year 2 on. His best statistical season came in 2022, when he had 28 receptions for 382 yards and 4 touchdowns. He likely would have bested those numbers the following year had an ankle injury not limited him to three games that season. He was back on the field in 2024, but finished with a rather pedestrian 28-231-0 stat-line.
Lachey entered the NFL Draft after that season, and was invited to both the Scouting Combine and the East-West Shrine Bowl.
Expected round: Day 3 | Consensus big board: No. 206 | Patriots meeting: N/A
Strengths: Even though he stands to add some bulk, Lachey is a well-built player at just under 6-foot-6, a 78-inch wingspan and 10-inch hands. He knows how to use his physical attributes as both a receiver and a blocker. He is a sure-handed player with a big catch radius, who offers the vertical ability to shield off or out-leap defenders in contested catch situations.
Iowa used him comparatively sparingly in that capacity, though, and instead opted to rely on him as a blocker. In that department, Lachey showed that he knows how to get his fairly big hands dirty: he is able to quickly engage opposing defenders in the run game, and moves well to get off his assignments and into open space; he is a factor when blocking on the move and at the second level, and keeps his technique consistent throughout the process.
In addition, Lachey checks the off-field boxes: he...
