As the 2025 NFL Draft nears, 3rd time could be the charm to Rams landing a TE

10. Luke Lachey, Iowa

Iowa tight end Luke Lachey suffered a serious ankle injury in 2023 that impacted both his 2023 and 2024 NCAA football seasons. And as we all well know, NFL teams tend to shy away from rookie prospects with questionable medical history if there is a healthy alternative. But 6-foot-6 251-pound tight end Luke Lachey is worth taking a serious look at.

The greatest challenge to any team trying to GPS Lachey in terms of NFL potential is trying to assess his data and video footage despite the injury, and that could prove to be difficult. If that creates a need for teams to lean more heavily into his combine performance, then Lachey has impressed the NFL at a critical point in time:

Because he was hard-halted at a critical point in his college career, most draft analysts balk at an opportunity to thrown a solid endorsement his way. But he remains projected to hear his name called on Day 3, albeit later in the day. He scores rather low on blocking, but he scores well at all things that a receiving tight end must perform well to have a lengthy NFL career. If the Rams believe that they can coach him into blocking proficiency, he could be an interesting addition to the team.

Projected: Round 6

Summary

While the LA Rams are likely to be nimble on their feet throughout the 2025 NFL Draft, I simply cannot envision the team 'settling' for lesser tight end prospect who may not bolster the team's overall talent level. Even with the exodus of TE Hunter Long, the team has veterans Tyler Higbee, Colby Parkinson, and Davis Allen returning for 2025.

So drafting a Day 3 tight end offers nothing to this roster. If the team is willing to add a tight end late, it's more likely to simply sign undrafted tight end rookies to the team than use a Day 3 pick on one. That appears to hold up when investigating the Rams predraft meetings, as the team has limited meetings to the top four candidates at the position.

• Penn State TE Tyler Warren
• Michigan TE Colston Loveland
• Texas TE Gunner Helm
• LSU TE Mason Taylor

The Rams have tried, and failed, to land a game-changer at tight end in the past two NFL drafts. I don't think that GM Les Snead will allow a third opportunity to end in similar frustration. My only concern with investing a valued pick into a rookie on offense has seldom resulted in positive outcomes. The teams seems ro rally around Day 3 rookies far more easily than Day 2 rookies.

If the Rams select a tight end early in the 2025 NFL Draft, let's hope that the team has the resolve to put that rookie onto the football field this year too.

As always, thanks for reading.

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