2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Luke Lachey (TE – Iowa)

FantasyPros will be taking a look at early NFL Draft scouting reports before the Combine in March. Here’s a look at Iowa tight end Luke Lachey. And check out our entire 2025 NFL Draft Guide.

2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report: Luke Lachey

Luke Lachey (TE – Iowa)

6-foot-6 | 248 Pounds

Background

Luke Lachey’s father Jim was a pro offensive tackle for 10 seasons. Redshirted in 2020, then started three out of 13 games the following year, catching eight passes. Started six out of 13 games in 2022, catching 28-398-4 (14.2) in what turned out to be his most productive season.

Went down with an ankle injury three games into 2023, at which point he had caught 10 passes for 131 yards. Started 11 out of 12 games played this past year, finishing with a 28-231-0 (8.3) line.

Positives

Big-bodied son of a former pro, Lachey comes from a veritable tight-end factory. Able to line up in-line and engage with form in the run game, showing adequate knee bend and good extension. Works hard to stay connected through the whistle and shows pretty good grip strength. Before this past season, was not purely or even primarily a simple safety valve; was asked to run a lot of seam routes to the intermediate level of the field, as well as your typical deep ins/outs/overs.

Accelerates smoothly and has pretty good speed to threaten defenses down the seams. Able to stay on his route through contact. Shows some snap at the route stem to create separation. Lachey knows how to settle into soft spots against zone coverage. Presents a big target and does a good job of adjusting to throws away from his frame. Can use his size to shield defenders from the ball. Good concentration to make grabs in traffic. Had only three career drops.

Negatives

Never started a full year in school before 2024, and his best season came two years ago. The ankle surgery he underwent in 2023 will require further medical evaluation. Doesn’t quite have the balance as a run blocker you’d anticipate given his size. When taking on smaller linebackers, Lachey gets the worst of it on contact a bit too often.

Plays out a bit over his toes and can be rag-dolled a little bit. Very rarely retained in pass protection. This past season, Lachey turned into more of a traditional safety valve, mostly catching short passes underneath. Caught fewer than half of his career contested catches, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). Doesn’t survive contact as a runner as well as expected.

Summary

A big, athletic tight end who can threaten the seams, he should get more interest from teams than his size suggests. He’s not necessarily a finesse player but offers the athleticism and natural receiving skills to work the intermediate level and competes as an in-line run blocker.

Assuming Lachey’s ankle passes pre-draft medicals, he looks like he has a pretty good chance to come off the board in the middle rounds.

Projection: Round 5

Check out all of our 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports

More 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports for Tight Ends

Tight Ends

Colston Loveland (Michigan)

A very solid overall tight end who has the type of polish you’d expect given his pedigree. Loveland lined up split out wide or in the slot very often during the games reviewed, showing impressive speed, route-running skills and body control. Provided the Wolverines with a reliable target who could create mismatches against different types of defenders.

Despite not being a primary inline blocker for the team, he is also a physical, aggressive and tough blocker with good effort, sound fundamentals and impressive functional strength. A do-it-all type who looks likely to be a first-round pick at this point, although Lovelans is not quite the physical/athletic freak that typically goes in the first round at his position.

Projection: Round 1/Round 2

Check out the full 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Colston Loveland

Tyler Warren (Penn State)

A big, smooth and versatile tight end who has the functional strength to execute different blocking assignments and who stuffed the stat sheet as one of the focal points of Penn State’s offense this year.

Running a variety of different routes from different alignments and showing the ability to create on underneath throws or come down with contested catches, Warren looks like a reliable option with the skills to play either inline or as a flex option at the next level. Looks likely to be one of the first two tight ends off the board, potentially as high as the first round.

Projection: Round 1/Round 2

Check out the full 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Tyler Warren

Mason Taylor (LSU)

Just a big, tough tight end who works hard to sustain in the run game and who presents his quarterback with a big target and a reliable pair of hands underneath. Taylor was asked to execute various blocking assignments and line up all over the offense in school, so as a three-year SEC starter with pro bloodlines, the level of polish is about what you’d expect.

May never be the fastest or most dynamic receiver, but it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to envision Taylor developing into a no-frills, starting-caliber in-line tight end.

Projection: Round 3/Round 4

Check out the full 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Report for Mason Taylor

More 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports for Tight Ends