Niners Nation
The Niners added a tight end in free agency. But, does that preclude them from taking one early?
The 2025 NFL Draft is less than two weeks away, as the San Francisco 49ers currently have the No. 11 overall pick.
Most of the discourse has been around the 49ers’ first-round pick, and rightfully so, as the team needs instant impact rookies after a quiet offseason.
But, there are several needs that San Francisco could address in this draft, so let’s go through every position and find realistic targets for the 49ers. So far, we’ve gotten through the quarterbacks, running backs, and wide receivers.
Now, it’s time for the tight ends.
The tight end position is where we get our first realistic Day 1 candidates. Now, I don’t anticipate a tight end being at the top of San Francisco’s board, given the amount of talent available at bigger positions of need.
But, it’s not out of the realm that the 49ers double-dip on the position in free agency and the draft after already signing Luke Farrell to a three-year deal. San Francisco needs a future after George Kittle, and Farrell isn’t a long-term answer.
Of course, investing as much as a first-round pick means the 49ers would expect that player to see meaningful snaps in 2025. But, if a tight end is the best on the board in a weaker overall class at the top, it’s realistic that they’d pull the trigger, especially in a trade down.
Michigan TE Colston Loveland
When it comes to the top tight ends in the draft, Loveland is certainly in the mix, and has actually gotten quite some buzz to be THE top tight end in the class, given his all-around profile.
Loveland has great size at 6’6, 248 pounds, good athleticism, ball skills, and effort as a blocker. Now, he did have some injury concerns in college, dealing with a shoulder issue in 2024 that required surgery and could very well drop him a bit in the draft.
But, the overall talent warrants a first-round selection. The only question is whether the 49ers would be willing to make a luxury pick as early as the first round, even with a trade down, which would be the realistic scenario for Loveland.
Here’s what the Athletic’s Dane Brugler said about Loveland.
“A three-year starter at Michigan, Loveland was a versatile tight end in head coach Sherrone Moore’s pro-style scheme, lining up primarily in the slot (47.6 percent of the time) and inline/wing (32.5 percent) as a junior,” Brugler said.
“From the moment he arrived in Ann Arbor, he was one of the most talented players on the roster and made an immediate impact his first two years, including as the Wolverines’ leading receiver in the 2023 national championship game. His final season was marred by injury and below-average quarterback play, but he still led the team in receiving in nine of the 10 games he played and set Michigan records for the...
