Michigan tight end Colston Loveland doesn’t need a meeting with the Chargers to pitch the team on his fit in the NFL. Coach Jim Harbaugh already knows.
Loveland, who won a national championship with Harbaugh in 2023 before the coach jumped to the NFL, is a potential first-round draft target for the Chargers, who pick 22nd in April’s draft. Speaking at the NFL scouting combine Thursday, Loveland said he had yet to meet with the Chargers but got to briefly reunite with Harbaugh at the event.
Mock Drafts from NFL.com and chof360 Sports have the Chargers selecting Michigan’s single-season record holder for receptions by a tight end in the first round.
Pro Football Focus and USA Today think the Chargers could favor a running back in a class general manager Joe Hortiz acknowledged as especially deep at the position. Pro Football Focus even predicted the Chargers would trade up in the draft to grab Boise State’s record-setting running back Ashton Jeanty.
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Adding offensive firepower appears to be the most urgent need for the Chargers, who are also looking to fill gaps on the interior offensive and defensive lines and edge rusher.
Loveland is the second-rated tight end prospect in this year’s draft, according to NFL.com’s rankings. A high school football and basketball star in Idaho, Loveland is a savvy pass-catching threat who could be an immediate boost to the Chargers offense.
He was named a second-team All-American as a junior and Mackey Award finalist after leading the Wolverines with 56 catches and 582 yards. Loveland had a team-high 64 yards receiving on three receptions during Michigan’s national championship win over Washington to cap the 2023 season.
The Chargers cycled through several tight end options last year as Will Dissly broke out for career highs in catches (50) and receiving yards (481). But the former Seahawks tight end was signed primarily for his run-blocking ability. Adding a prospect who confidently called himself “one of the best route runners in this draft” could give the Chargers a potent one-two tight end punch.
But Loveland doesn’t want to be judged only by his receiving numbers. He called his run-blocking game “underrated” because it has taken a back seat in recent seasons as his impact in the pass game grew.
“I feel like whatever I'm asked to do, I want to be able to do,” Loveland said. “Whether that’s hand [down], inline, if I’m out at one, slot, whatever I gotta do to help the team win, that’s what I'm willing to do.”
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On Thursday, Loveland sported a bulky brace for his right shoulder after he underwent surgery for an injury suffered during the 2024 season. He has continued lower-body strength training and working on his left arm and expects to resume running and catching passes in about three months. In six months, he will be able to absorb contact again.
Harbaugh started his own Michigan pipeline to the Chargers last year, loading the staff and roster with former Wolverines. The Chargers used a third-round pick on linebacker Junior Colson last year. Loveland looks forward to adding to Michigan’s draft legacy in April.
“I think it’s just Michigan, it’s just the coaching staff and everything Michigan’s about,” Loveland said. “They develop. They get the best out of every player and you see that in the draft. … Just how hard we work at Michigan, they prepare us for everything.”
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
