Colston Loveland is a Nice Third Round NFL Draft Prospect

I took three days to study every play Michigan tight end Colston Loveland played in during the 2023 season.

I wanted to see what all the hype was about.

CBS, Fox Sports, Draftwire, NBC Sports Chicago, Bleacher Report, 33rd Team, Sports Illustrated, The Athletic, and Pro Football Focus all had a first-round grade on Loveland since April (nflmockdraftdatabase.com).

I’m not seeing it.

This seems to be a case of a prospect being the benefactor of being on a National Championship team last season. Don’t get me wrong, I like Loveland, but in the right round. He competes hard. In fact, that’s his top characteristic on tape. However, he’s average when it comes to speed and change of direction at route breakpoints. That tempers my outlook.

Loveland is not elite.

Loveland does not belong in the first-round discussion.

Route running

This Michigan tight end is one of the better route runners I’ve seen when it comes to NFL prospects. He’s a creative and accomplished route runner.

He excels against zone pass coverage (when defenders are assigned a specific area of the field to defend). He also shows a knack for occasionally shaking free from man coverage (when defenders are matched up one-on-one). I say occasionally because there were countless reps during these games that he could not separate from coverage or he could only create tight throwing windows.

Loveland is mostly a short-range receiving target (0-9) yards and occasionally effective in the intermediate route range (11-19 yards) when he can get up the seams in the middle of the field.

He is not a deep threat. He’s also nothing to write home about when it comes to picking up additional yardage after the catch.

Hands

In today’s pass-happy NFL, teams need offensive weapons who have great hands.

That’s not Loveland.

This prospect showed good, but not great hands. As an evaluator, I look for patterns and tendencies over a sustained period of game film. I dismiss the ‘one-off.’ That’s why I love watching full seasons of prospects. Sure, it’s more time-consuming, but it gives a clear perspective of the big picture. Loveland didn’t come up with some catches he should’ve made.

Statistics can help to confirm the game film.

Statistics can help serve as a “cross-check.”

2023 CATCH RATE: 45 catches on 68 targets (68.1%)

Blocking

Finding complete tight ends is important ⎯meaning tight ends who can block and catch.

What he lacks in size and strength, he makes up for with effort as a blocker.

Loveland is a competitive blocker.

NFL crystal ball

• Chargers
• Vikings

In that order.

Those are the two teams I feel will have the most interest in Loveland.

Why?

Michigan’s former head coach Jim Harbaugh is Chargers head coach and Michigan’s former quarterback J.J. McCarthy is with the Vikings.

Loveland is exactly the type of familiar offensive security blanket both of these organizations could use.

#18 Colston Loveland 6-foot-5, 245 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2024 Fall Grade: Third Round (I would select him)

Projected by 75.1% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of October 16, 2024 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2023 game film evaluated: East Carolina, UNLV, Bowling Green, Rutgers, Nebraska, Minnesota, Indiana, Michigan State, Purdue, Maryland, Ohio State, Iowa, Alabama, and Washington (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Ideal No. 2 tight end with an athletic slender muscular build who is a surprisingly effective blocker. Versatile pre-snap alignment capabilities. Lines up in tight, out wide, and at H-back. Initial acceleration before quickly leveling out with smooth one-gear above-average playing speed on routes. Methodical laboring runner. Quick feet at route break points. Natural reach with his long arms. Average catch radius. Will get physical with defensive backs. Routes can be impeded. Works back to quarterback when he’s in trouble. Can use his frame to box out defenders. Best with leverage as a blocker, but there’s no quit in him in this department.

What to watch for during the 2024 college football season

1. Creating separation consistently on routes?

2. Dependable hands?

3. Mostly a short-range target?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.