Colston Loveland was born and raised on a farm in the small town of Bliss, Idaho, a mere truck stop of a town off I-84 in southern Idaho. He grew up wrangling horses and raising sheep but also loved basketball and football. It was his big brother who forced him to play, including flag football when he was in first grade and tackle football by fourth grade. Once Loveland hit middle school, it was clear that everyone wanted to play with the big, strong kid with good hands.
Fast-tracked to varsity football as a freshman, Loveland played wide receiver, again alongside his brother. When big bro Cayden, a talented player in his own right, was done at Gooding and on his way to Carroll College on a scholarship, he was the school’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards … for three years.
But once Colston was the lone Loveland, he grew five inches and gained about 40 pounds, paving the way for him to move to tight end. That’s where he dominated for the Senators, smashed big bro’s records and truly began garnering attention as one of the nation’s top young tight ends. He finished his high school career with 235 catches for 3,139 yards and 35 receiving touchdowns, adding four touchdowns as a senior as a rusher (two 100-yard rushing games!) and 18 tackles for loss as a senior at defensive end.
Loveland was noticed locally as soon as his freshman year, but the combination of his sophomore breakout (both physically and statistically) and a successful 7-on-7 camp showing in Seattle really started to get offers rolling in. During the Covid-19 pandemic, Michigan assistant Jay Harbaugh noticed film of Loveland and began his pursuit of him to come to the Wolverines. Loveland credits the Michigan culture and its facilities for why he chose to play there over places like Alabama, LSU, UCLA and Colorado.
And now he leaves Michigan as their all-time single-season leader at tight end in receptions.
Colston Loveland NFL Draft profile
- Age as of Week 1: 21 years old
- Height: 6-foot-6
- Weight: 248 pounds
- Hand size: 10 inches
- Comparable body-type to: Coby Fleener
CBS prospect ranking
Position: No. 1 TE | Overall: No. 11
Consensus big board ranking (via NFL Mock Draft Database): No. 19 overall (No. 2 TE)
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NFL comparison: Darren Waller
Loveland might prove to be a good blocker, but it’s his receiving skills that will get him drafted early. Given his height, lean limbs and better-than-normal speed, he is very reminiscent of Darren Waller, who took a while to grow into his role. Loveland should be a quicker study than Waller, but both are former receivers who can exploit mismatches all over the field.
Colston Loveland scouting report
Accolades
- 2024: 35% of team’s receiving yards (second-highest by FBS tight end)
- 2024: Mackey Award finalist (nation’s best TE) after leading Michigan in receptions (56), receiving yards (582) and receiving touchdowns (five) despite missing two games
- 2023-24: Two-time All-Big Ten (first team in 2023 and second team in 2024)
- 2023: Michigan Offensive and Co-Special Teams Rookie of the Year
- High school: Idaho Gatorade Player of the Year
Strengths
- Tall with a bulky upper body to help shield the ball away from defenders on catch opportunities.
- Lined up across the formation but was primarily in the slot, next to a tackle or a yard off from a tackle in Michigan’s pro-style offense. Loveland was used in motion plenty and used as a short-area easy-to-hit target in 2024, a necessity given their lack of experienced quarterbacks.
- Very good agility and loose hips for a 6-foot-6 tight end. Seemed to have mastered the half-turn toward the quarterback on hitch and comeback routes, and had good footwork to stop his feet and change direction quickly. Also displayed a useful stutter-step to help give him leverage. Had a good vertical with solid timing to give him a shot to corral high passes.
- Given his size, Loveland also proved to be a matchup problem because of his acceleration and speed against linebackers and some safeties. When Michigan put him in motion or gave him a runway before or after the catch, Loveland’s top speed was evident and figures to be part of how he’s utilized in the NFL. He runs smoothly.
- Good overall awareness including knowing where to find soft spots against zone coverage and when to alter his route to wall off a defender. That same awareness popped up when his quarterback was in distress and Loveland had to work to make himself available for a target.
- Hands and related receiving traits were all very good. He caught a majority of his passes away from his body including many with long-arm extension that comes with the territory of a huge 79-inch wingspan. His 10-inch hands further helped him secure passes; he was credited with zero fumbles lost over three years.
- Good concentration on his opportunities, including when passes were off-target or tipped up into the air. And on the rare occasions he had intermediate and long throws go his way, he would track them really well. Loveland is much more of a receiving threat than he is a blocking threat and should be used accordingly.
- Consistently blocked with low-pad level and a strong anchor, usually with proper hand placement and locked arms. Especially showed good effort including as a pulling blocker across the formation.
- Viewed as a humble, mild-mannered young man. He reportedly visits kids at the Idaho School for the Deaf and Blind when he goes back home and used to participate in 4-H as a kid.
Concerns
- Long, lean limbs that look a little strange on an otherwise thick torso and trunk. It’ll be up to a team to decide whether to add some bulk here.
- Seemed focused on five routes: crosser, hitch, out, dig and go. Loveland sparingly ran other routes including just 18 slants and seven post routes in his past two seasons. This shouldn’t prove to be a major issue as he can redevelop his skills in new routes, but it is a little alarming.
- Loveland had simply solid burst, especially from a stationary position off the snap. He needs a few steps to reach good speed. Pushy NFL defenders will know this going into games and try to jostle him post-snap to gain an edge.
- Would occasionally round his cuts and not get flat out of his breaks, making it easier for defenders to stick on him. He clearly has the agility to improve this.
- His hands are very good, but not perfect. There were a handful body-catches on tape, and while he greatly improved on his drops in 2024 (just two over 82 targets), he had seven total over 89 targets in 2022-23. Honestly, this one’s fairly easy to overlook.
- Ran a ton of short routes for Michigan in 2024, making his film kind of underwhelming. Of his 82 targets last year, he had 23 targets on throws of 10-plus air yards, just 12 of those went 15-plus air yards and six went 20-plus air yards. It is worth noting that while he didn’t see proportionately more of these throws with J.J. McCarthy in 2023, he did have a 9.7 average depth of target compared to 7.1 in 2024. No one should assume he won’t run long routes effectively in the NFL, but it’ll take some projection for a team to lean into him as a regular winner on the seam or sideline.
- One of his biggest concerns involves a lack of yards after the catch, settling in at a pedestrian 5.2 yards after catch per reception in 2023 and 2024. That number was even lower on longer throws (3.3 on passes of 10-plus air yards). Way too many of his receptions were often followed by a tackle; Loveland had a career 6.8% avoided tackle rate. Rare was his after-catch fight displayed, which was disappointing given his size. Obviously he can power through weak tackle attempts, but he’ll potentially struggle to pack on yardage otherwise.
- Occasionally was ragdolled by bigger defenders and had a few lapses in his blocking technique that caused him to lose his man into the play.
- Suffered an AC joint injury to his right shoulder on Sept. 14, missed one game, then re-aggravated it Nov. 23 and missed the team’s last two games against Ohio State and Alabama. It required reconstructive surgery in January. In February, Dr. Neal ElAttrache sent every NFL team a letter sharing that he expected Loveland to be ready to participate in training camp. It’s the only notable injury Loveland suffered at Michigan, but it’s one NFL teams must be OK with.
Bottom line
An NFL team looking for a mismatch tight end will target Loveland. He’ll enter the league with the promising combination of height and speed with his upside tied to improved route running and after-catch ability. With the right coach and scheme, and with good health, Loveland could really become one of the most productive receiving tight ends in the league.
What other draft experts say about Colston Loveland
Ryan Wilson: Loveland is listed at 6-foot-5 and 237 pounds, and while he runs like he’s 185, he plays like he’s 260. He’ll run through open-field arm tackles all day long, he has an enormous catch radius, and he’s a precise route runner, looking like a receiver at times in his movement skills. He’s a willing blocker, but like most pass-catching tight ends coming into the league, he’ll need to improve in this area.
Chris Trapasso: Loveland is a young, athletic tight end with a refined route-running skill set and natural receiving instincts. He consistently separates from linebackers thanks to his burst and fluid movement, and while he’s not overly physical in contested situations, his hands and body control stand out. Loveland brings vertical-threat upside with straight-line speed and short-area quickness, even if he’s not a major YAC weapon. As a blocker, he shows sound technique and space potential but must continue adding strength to hold up in-line. He profiles as a well-rounded, ascending three-down tight end with starting-caliber traits.
Josh Edwards: Colston Loveland has good size to be an NFL tight end but can continue adding mass to his frame. Loveland has a good catch radius to make plays outside of his frame and good acceleration to turn upfield post-catch. He drives his feet on contact in the run game, but his pad level gets a bit high in pass protection. Loveland has shown the versatility to move around the formation but can continue addressing his play strength and footwork to defeat press coverage.
Mike Renner: Colston Loveland is a young, natural receiving tight end. While not much of an inline blocker, he has room to grow at only 20 years old currently. He’s a terror when climbing past the linebacker level of the defense.
Colston Loveland college stats
| 2024 | 10 | 56 | 582 | 10.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 2023 | 15 | 45 | 649 | 14.4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 14 | 16 | 235 | 14.7 | 2 | 0 |
Colston Loveland 247Sports profile
High school: Gooding (Gooding, Idaho)
Class: 2022
Composite Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (91)
Check out Colston Loveland’s full 247Sports profile, here.
The 2025 NFL Draft is to take place from April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wisconsin. More draft coverage can be found at CBSSports.com, including the weekly mock drafts and a regularly available look at the eligible prospects.