2025 NFL Draft: Michigan’s Colston Loveland hyped up in comparison to Travis Kelce

The Michigan Wolverines are ready to defend their national championship with a new head coach and new cast of weapons on both sides of the ball.  One player already high on the 2025 NFL Draft watch list is tight end Colson Loveland.

Standing at 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, PFF describes Loveland as an elite athlete who “became one of the best tight ends” as a sophomore in 2023.    With 649 receiving yards, Loveland   showcased his extreme athleticism with a touchdown reception in the Big Ten Championship game against Purdue.

Colston Loveland already compared to elite star tight end

The impressive catch was in double coverage in which Loveland leap over two defenders to haul in a touchdown reception from J.J. McCarthy.    His combination of size and that athletic ability has Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore already sizing him up and comparing him to one of the best tight ends in the NFL.

“Have you ever heard of Travis Kelce? That’s what you’re looking at [with Loveland],” Moore said said of Loveland. “That dude’s an animal. He’s an absolute animal and the guy just works. He reminds me of Blake [Corum] in that we had to stop Blake from doing extra work like Colson does. ‘You can’t do that much. You have to stop. You got to hold out.’

“The sky is the limit for him. [He’s improved] everything. Run game, looks like a receiver when he’s running routes. It’s going to be awesome to watch him.”

As a star on the rise in the it may be the ultimate compliment for Loveland, but also a lot of pressure on the tight end who is entering his junior year as probably the top offensive target for Michigan in 2024.  With a breakout sophomore season, he has already proven he can handle double teams and take advantage of mismatches, which already has him projected as a first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft with room for growth.

Within his pass-catching ability, Loveland is already dynamic, but an area he can improve upon is his run blocking.  That may not matter much on the next level given the type of target he’ll be for any quarterback in the NFL, but great tight ends like Kelce and Rob Gronkowski morphed into productive run blockers which made them even more valuable in their offenses.  That will be the area of growth to watch throughout the upcoming college football season for Loveland.

When it comes to that comparison or reference to Kelce, the Michigan tight end has the talent to live up to that expectation and perhaps be even better if drafted in the right situation.  But that will all depend on how he responds to an outstanding sophomore season and attacks defenses now that he has more of a target on his back.

NFL teams with a need at tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft, will be watching this outstanding talent closely.