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ESPN Insider: Two first-round TE draft targets for Seahawks

Jan 13, 2025, 10:53 AM | Updated: 11:58 am

The Seattle Seahawks’ biggest and most pressing need this offseason is their offensive line, but another interesting position group to monitor is tight end.

2024 Seahawks Final Grades: Evaluating Year 1 of the Macdonald era

No. 2 tight end AJ Barner, a fourth-round draft pick out of Michigan, had a promising rookie campaign with 30 receptions for 245 yards and four touchdowns. But it’s possible Seattle could choose to move on from one or both of its other tight ends.

Veteran tight end Noah Fant could be a salary-cap casualty, given that his production hasn’t lived up to his contract or his first-round draft status since he came over from the Denver Broncos in the 2022 Russell Wilson trade. Fant hasn’t ranked higher than 18th among tight ends in receiving yards in any of his three seasons in Seattle. And he isn’t known for his blocking ability, ranking just 69th out of 75 tight ends in Pro Football Focus‘ run block grading in 2024.

That could make it difficult for the Seahawks to justify keeping Fant for the second season of his two-year, $21 million deal. According to Over The Cap, Fant’s cap hit increases to $13.4 million in 2025. And Seattle currently sits $27.4 million over the cap, which is more than just two other teams.

Meanwhile, it seems unlikely the Seahawks will re-sign No. 3 tight end Pharaoh Brown after his underwhelming 2024 campaign. Brown, who arrived in Seattle last March on a one-year deal, had just eight catches for 65 yards and ranked 49th out of 75 tight ends in PFF run block grading.

If the Seahawks are looking to upgrade their tight end room, how is this year’s NFL Draft class? During an appearance last week on Seattle Sports’ Bump and Stacy, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Matt Miller raved about two first-round tight end prospects who have particularly bright futures: Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Michigan’s Colston Loveland.

Miller said that if the Seahawks don’t go with an offensive lineman or an edge rusher at No. 18 overall, Warren or Loveland would both be slam-dunk picks if they’re still on the board. Below is a closer look at both players.

“They’re both gonna be stars,” Miller said.

Tyler Warren (Penn State)

Warren is coming off a spectacular season that garnered a seventh-place finish in the Heisman Trophy voting, which was the best finish by a tight end since 1977.

The ultra-versatile Warren put up massive numbers in Penn State’s run to the College Football Playoff semifinals, racking up 104 catches for a team-high 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns in 16 games. The 6-foot-6, 261-pound senior also was PFF’s top-graded run-blocking tight end. And as a former star high school quarterback, Warren served as a Swiss Army knife weapon who periodically lined up in the backfield as a wildcat quarterback or a running back. He rushed for 218 yards and four TDs on 26 carries, while also completing 3 of 6 passes for 35 yards and a TD.

Warren topped the 100-yard receiving mark four times this season, including a monster 17-catch, 224-yard performance against USC that tied the FBS record for most receptions in a game by a tight end. He had one play in that game where he lined up at center, snapped the ball, ran a go route downfield and leaped over a safety in the end zone to haul in a trick-play double pass for a 32-yard TD reception.

In his latest mock draft, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid has Warren going to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 14 overall – four spots ahead of Seattle.

“He’s amazing,” Miller said. “He had a touchdown rushing, receiving and passing. I mean, he does it all. He’s 6-foot-6, 255, but he moves like he’s 6-foot-3. He moves like he’s a much smaller player. He’s a top-10 player (in the draft) for me.”

Colston Loveland (Michigan)

Could the Seahawks draft a Michigan tight end for the second straight year? Loveland and Barner were teammates on Michigan’s 2023 national championship team, with Loveland actually serving as the Wolverines’ top tight end and Barner as the backup.

The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Loveland had 45 catches for 649 yards and four touchdowns during Michigan’s 2023 title run, including a key 41-yard catch-and-run in the national championship game against the UW Huskies. The Gooding, Idaho, native was hampered by injuries and subpar quarterback play this past fall, but still mustered 56 catches for 582 yards and five TDs in 10 games – including seven catches for a season-high 112 yards against Oregon.

ESPN’s Reid has Loveland going to the Los Angeles Rams at No. 22 overall in his latest mock draft – four spots behind Seattle.

“He got banged up this year at Michigan (and) they couldn’t throw the ball at all, so that affected his numbers,” Miller said. “But I watched him at Michigan’s pro day last year when (2024 first-round pick) J.J. McCarthy was throwing to him, and he’s special. He could be like a Trey McBride type player in the NFL. He can do it all. He’s so, so talented.”

Listen to the full conversation with ESPN’s Matt Miller on Brock and Salk 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.

More on the Seattle Seahawks

• Why former Seahawks DB thinks Seattle will move on from Geno and DK
• Huard: Free agent class has answers for Seattle Seahawks’ biggest need
• Report: Seattle Seahawks request interview with Saints OC
• Reports: Seattle Seahawks to interview 2 candidates for OC job
• ESPN Insider: Edge rushers Seattle Seahawks could target in NFL Draft

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