Luke Lachey, Iowa: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
Lachey was a three-star recruit from Grandview Heights High School in Grandview Heights, Ohio in the class of 2020
Iowa has a history of producing quality NFL tight ends. Luke Lachey appears to be the next in line. The redshirt senior is working back from a season-ending injury. He has the in-line and slot versatility to be a borderline top 100 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Luke Lachey, TE Iowa: 2025 NFL Draft Profile
Classification: Redshirt senior tight end from Columbus, Ohio
Background: Lachey was a three-star recruit from Grandview Heights High School in Grandview Heights, Ohio in the class of 2020. He was the No. 380 (four-star) recruit according to 247Sports and No. 474 for On3.com. Lachey was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 76 grade out of 100. He lettered all four years in high school, primarily playing wide receiver, tight end, and defensive back. Lachey was a team captain as a junior and senior. In his final season at Grandview Heights, he totaled 57 receptions for 741 yards and seven touchdowns and 43 rushing attempts for 357 yards and three touchdowns. Lachey added five interceptions on defense. He earned First Team All-District, First Team All-Conference, and First Team All-State honors and was an All-Metro selection as a senior. Lachey amassed 45 receptions for 763 yards and 12 touchdowns as a junior to accompany three interceptions on defense and 13 kickoff returns for 387 yards and two touchdowns. The performance earned him First Team All-District, First Team All-Conference, and Second Team All-State honors. He made 15 receptions for 416 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore as well as three interceptions and eight punt returns for 76 yards and one touchdown, which led to All-State honorable mention, First Team All-District, and First Team All-Conference honors. Lachey was the conference’s Most Outstanding Player twice. He also lettered in basketball four times and track and field twice. Lachey competed at a high level in the high jump and on the 4x400 relay team. His father, Jim, was a 1984 All-American offensive lineman at Ohio State who was selected 12th overall in the 1985 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Jim went on to play in the league through the 1995 season. He made three Pro Bowls and earned four All-Pro selections as a left tackle. Luke was born on June 29, 2001.
Injuries & Off-Field: Suffered a season-ending break in his right ankle or leg that required surgery vs. Western Michigan (2023) and missed Iowa’s final 11 games
Awards: 2022 Honorable Mention All-Big Ten (Media), 2023 Team Captain
Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return and field goal units, experience taking snaps in-line, the slot, at H-back, and out wide, good thickness to frame with room to add more mass, releases with impressive speed, enough speed to challenge some linebackers up the seam, understands leverage and spacing well, stems routes outside to open space over the middle, nice breaks on vertical route tree (ex. posts, corners, etc.), quick to locate holes in zone coverage, really good awareness of the sticks, quickly turns upfield and accelerates after the catch, high tackle attempts from DBs bounce off him, finishes plays falling forward, picks up tough YAC, only two drops in college career, natural hands catcher, fully extends to meet the ball, high points the ball well, concentration at the catch point with defenders in his face, secures catches through contact, adjusts well to low or high throws, willing to scrap in the trenches, stout base and good contact balance while blocking, good leg drive as an in-line blocker, impressive horizontal displacement on down blocks, good job sealing defenders to create run lanes, overpowers linebackers, offers some blocking help on the perimeter
Cons: Suspect arm length, not a dynamic athlete, inconsistent release speed, speed won’t threaten defensive backs consistently, struggles to discard press coverage, inconsistent separating vs. man coverage, defenders in off-man coverage can sit on his route at the top of the stem, early contact slows route significantly, needs to use hands to keep frame clean during routes, doesn’t shake mid-route contact at a high level, stays high during his breaks, takes too many steps to decelerate for cuts, rounded routes when snapping off the stem at 90 degrees (ex. out, dig, etc.), needs to improve head and route fakes, doesn’t break many tackles, not twitchy or agile after the catch, occasional poor angles throw off blocks, some whiffs and lunging when blocking in the open field
Overview: Lachey has special teams experience on the kick return and field goal units and lines up in-line, the slot, at H-back, and out wide. His frame is already thick with more room to add healthy weight. Lachey’s arm length appears to be on the shorter end of the spectrum. He’s not a dynamic athlete but still offers value as a potential top 100 selection. Lachey has some reps where he releases from the line with impressive speed, but he also suffers from inconsistent form that drains his speed. His pads occasionally pop straight up at the snap when he’s operating in-line, which saps his speed. Lachey struggles to battle through press coverage and doesn’t generate consistent separation against man coverage. He needs to use his hands more to keep his frame clean during his release and throughout the route. Defenders in off-man coverage wait for him to reach the top of the stem before quickly crowding him and shutting down throwing lanes. Lachey doesn’t handle mid-route contact at a high level and lets it sap too much of his momentum. He has enough speed to challenge some linebackers up the seam but won’t threaten defensive backs vertically. Lachey makes up for his lack of dynamic athletic traits with his understanding of leverage and spacing. He stems routes outside to create space over the middle of the field and quickly locates holes in zone coverage. Lachey sharply snaps through his routes on the vertical tree, running crips posts and corners. Unfortunately, that sharpness doesn’t translate to his comeback, curl, dig, and out routes. He takes too many steps to decelerate on routes that require him to work back to the quarterback, and he doesn’t snap off in or out-breaking routes with 90 degree cuts. The redshirt senior needs to improve his head and route fakes to manipulate defenders more. He showcases impressive awareness of the sticks and offers a nice third down option for offenses. Lachey quickly gets upfield and accelerates after the catch. Defensive backs who try to tackle him high on his frame bounce off him. The former three-star recruit picks up tough yardage by finishing plays falling forward, but he doesn’t break many tackles. Lachey is not twitchy or agile enough to make defenders miss in space. He’s a natural hands catcher who fully extends to high point the football. He uses impressive concentration at the catch point to haul passes in with defenders in his face and finish the play through contact. Lachey adjusts well to low or high throws. Forward momentum and lunging do disrupt his blocks occasionally, but he’s still a positive player working in-line. His stout base and balance allow him to absorb powerful defenders and continue blocking. Lachey’s impressive leg drive generates displacement, especially on down blocks. He overpowers linebackers and seals edge rushers to create running lanes but isn’t a true mauler.
Overall, Lachey is one of the better blockers in the 2025 tight end class but still possesses the speed and route running to threaten defenses at multiple levels. Lachey generates less separation and fewer explosive plays than many of the heavily used slot options in this class because he isn’t as dynamic of an athlete. This could make him an in-line commodity in 2025.
Role & Scheme Fit: In-line tight end with slot versatility
Round Grade: Late Third to Mid Fourth Round
Size: 6'6", 253 lbs. (Unofficial)
Submitted: 07-14-24