Joel Klatt explains why Colston Loveland is his top TE in 2025 NFL Draft over Tyler Warren

Tyler Warren is widely considered the top tight end in the 2025 NFL Draft. After an incredible season at Penn State, somebody is going to draft Warren early Thursday night. But when ranking his top five players at the position, FOX’s Joel Klatt went somewhere else.

Klatt stayed inside the Big Ten, opting for Michigan‘s Colston Loveland. He cites the versatility Loveland brings to the table in a more traditional sense. If roles were reversed and Loveland had to do Warren’s job at Penn State, he is confident success would be found.

“To me, it’s a versatility thing,” Klatt said of Loveland. “He’s a bit more traditional than Tyler Warren and he’s probably a bit more versatile. He’s not just in the creative game, I think that he can do everything, I really do. I think he could have played the Warren role but they didn’t do that at Michigan. But he was very good in the traditional sense.”

Versatility is usually a word used to describe Warren as well. Penn State lined him up at multiple positions last year, ranging from tight end to quarterback and even center. Whichever NFL offensive coordinator lands Warren will have limitless options.

So, Klatt explained himself a little bit more on the ranking. He claims Loveland had to force his way open in the Michigan offense while Penn State was scheming their offense around getting Warren touches. Not necessarily a knock but different styles of versatility.

“Very polished as a route runner,” Klatt said. “He can get himself open. And in a lot of ways, Warren — his touches were created for him and schemed for him. Loveland, they were scheming for him but in the sense that it’s like ‘Hey man, go get yourself open.'”

Klatt eventually gave his whole scouting report on Loveland. Both tight ends have the potential of being selected inside the top-10 range in his opinion.

“Loveland is so fluid as a pass catcher and a route runner,” Klatt said. “He is almost a wide receiver in terms of his route-running ability. He can flex out and he is a matchup nightmare because he is so good in the route tree on the edge. He can line up as a tight end. What do you think he had to do at Michigan? He was a really quality blocker for them. He can move, he could motion, he could flex in the passing game, and he’s dangerous.”