If anyone can get great play out of tight ends, it’s new Houston Texans offensive coordinator Nick Caley.
That seems to be the hope surrounding the selection of Iowa tight end Luke Lachey, who heads to Houston at the ninth and final pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
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The Texans aren’t expecting Lachey to become a forceful impact in the passing game as the newest weapon for C.J. Stroud in 2025. Most fans would take a blocking-only tight end with upside in the red zone as a “win” on paper for the Hawkeyes‘ strategy.
Lachey joined the Hawkeyes in 2020 and played in one game before redshirting. A year later, the 6-foot-5 tight end played in all 13 games with three starts and caught eight passes for 133 yards. He caught 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns in 2022 before electing to come back for another season.
In 2024, Lachey caught 28 passes for 231 yards. He caught 10 passes for 131 yards two As a sophomore, he caught 28 passes for 398 yards and four touchdowns.
Here’s a quick rundown on Lachey:
The Basics
Height: 6-foot-6
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Weight: 251 pounds
Age: 23
From: Grandview Heights, Ohio
Breakdown
“Lachey is a fluid athlete at 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds with the commitment and power to be a good run blocker. He’s smooth out of his breaks and could become a solid TE2/3 for the Texans’ offense in time.” – USA Today’s Ayrton Ostly
Lance Zierlein’s Scouting Report
“Combination tight end capable of lining up in-line or as a move tight end,” Zierlein wrote. “While Lachey can do both, he lacks the core strength and consistency of a typical “Y” tight end and has average quickness to escape man coverage on the next level. He has experience operating underneath and as an intermediate target, using proper leverage in his routes and good body control, along with strong hands, when contested. He has NFL size but needs to prove he can more consistently sustain as a run blocker in order to become a trustworthy, three-down player in the league. Unless that happens, he’s likely to be fighting for a role as a TE3 or TE4.”
RAS Score
RELATIVE ATHLETIC SCORE
Grade: A-
The Texans needed a blocking tight end with upside in the passing game. That’s Lachey, who might make the roster simply because of his blocking skills. – Texans Wire’s Cole Thompson
Highlights
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans 2025 draft pick profile: TE Luke Lachey