Brock’s Seahawks Draft Profile: Why Michigan TE is possibility at No. 18

The Seattle Seahawks already have one tight end from Michigan’s 2023 national championship team. That would be AJ Barner, a fourth-round draft pick who went on to have a productive rookie campaign in Seattle this past fall.

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Could the Seahawks add another tight end from the ’23 national champs in this year’s draft?

It may be a legitimate possibility.

Colston Loveland, who was the top tight end on that undefeated Michigan team, is on track to be a first-round pick in the NFL Draft later this month. And some experts – including NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah – have projected Seattle to take Loveland at No. 18 overall. It would make sense, given how important tight ends are to new offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak’s scheme.

On Tuesday, Loveland was the subject of FOX college football analyst Brock Huard‘s daily Seahawks draft profile series on Seattle Sports’ Brock and Salk. Huard called the 6-foot-5, 248-pound Loveland a “unicorn” due to his lengthy frame, fluid athleticism, top-tier speed and overall potential to become a big-time NFL receiving threat.

“He’s a unicorn,” Huard said. “He’s just different. And he was different from day one at the University of Michigan. He played as a true freshman there. … When you’re 6-6, 250, you run 4.7 (seconds in the 40-yard dash), you’ve got 33-inch arms and can jump out of the gym, you give yourself an opportunity, even at Michigan, to hit the field right away.”

Loveland, who grew up in small-town Gooding, Idaho (pop. 3,800), immediately made an impact in Ann Arbor. As a true freshman, he had 16 catches for 235 yards and two touchdowns on a Michigan team that reached the College Football Playoff semifinals.

Loveland then took over as the Wolverines’ No. 1 tight end in 2023, racking up 45 catches for 649 yards and four TDs during their 15-0 campaign – including a key 41-yard catch-and-run in the national title game against the UW Huskies. Barner was the Wolverines’ No. 2 tight end that year, totaling 22 catches for 249 yards and a TD.

This past fall, Loveland battled through a shoulder injury that limited him to 10 games. Michigan’s subpar quarterback play also was a major issue following the departure of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy.

But despite that, Loveland still broke the program’s single-season tight end receptions record with 56 catches for a team-high 582 yards and five TDs in 2024 – including seven catches for 112 yards against then No. 1-ranked Oregon. He finished with more than double the receiving yards of any other player on Michigan’s team this past year.

“He’s a 6-6, 250 guy that looks like a 6-foot, 200-pound receiver,” Huard said. “He is that big, but he moves that effortlessly with that much fluidity.”

Loveland underwent shoulder surgery on Jan. 29 to repair his AC joint, but is expected to be able to be fully cleared for training camp this summer. Still, that’s one thing that makes Huard a bit wary.

“Frankly, (the shoulder) is a little bit of a concern for me,” Huard said. “I’d have to be very, very, very clear on my medicals.”

Loveland also isn’t regarded as a particularly strong run blocker. But with Barner and the recently signed Eric Saubert, the Seahawks already have two good blocking tight ends. Loveland’s elite field-stretching ability could pair with Fant to give Kubiak another dangerous receiving weapon for his bevy of multi-tight-end formations.

Loveland is widely regarded as one of the top two tight ends in this year’s draft class, along with potential top-10 pick Tyler Warren from Penn State. Loveland is ranked by Jeremiah as the No. 7 overall prospect in the entire draft – one spot behind Warren and one spot ahead of Miami quarterback Cam Ward, the projected No. 1 overall pick.

“That tells you some of the grade and the evaluation and the unique skill set,” Huard said.

Listen to the full conversation at this link or in the audio player near the top of this story. Tune in to Brock and Salk weekdays from 6 to 10 a.m. or find the podcast on the Seattle Sports app.

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