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Jim Harbaugh has lived up to expectations in his first season coaching the Los Angeles Chargers . After making the playoffs once since 2019, the Chargers are on track to punch their postseason ticket as they enter Week 12 with a 7-3 record, which is good enough to be the No. 5 seed in the AFC .
Although the Chargers are thriving under Harbaugh's guidance, there's always room for improvement. Certain roster areas must be upgraded in the offseason if Los Angeles wants to remain competitive next year, including when it comes to the tight end situation. Will Dissley is the only Chargers TE who's under contract in 2025, meaning general manager Joe Hortiz will have no choice but to address that position in the spring.
Some solid tight ends will be available in free agency, however, one NFL analyst has the organization turning to the draft for him. In his latest 2025 mock draft, CBS Sports' Chris Trapasso is projecting that the Chargers will select Michigan TE Colston Loveland with the 25th overall selection. "Jim Harbaugh calls this pick in immediately when he sees the best tight end in the class, whom he recruited and coached at Michigan, still available," Trapasso wrote.
Credit: Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK Standing 6-foot-5 and weighing 245 pounds, Chargers fans would easily welcome Loveland to the offense. It also helps that the promising tight end is more than familiar with Harbaugh after playing two seasons under his guidance at Michigan, which included last season's National Championship run. Even though he hasn't had Harbaugh calling his plays this season, Loveland has been playing well for a struggling Wolverines team.
The junior pass-catcher has already tallied a career-high 53 catches in nine games, during those opportunities into 560 receiving yards and four touchdowns. He now has recorded 1,444 receiving yards and 10 TDs across 38 career outings in a Wolverines uniform. Projected to be a first-round pick in April, Loveland is the type of player the Chargers need even if Dissly still has two years left on the $14 million contract he signed back in March.
While the Washington product hasn't been awful, he hasn't exactly looked like a No. 1 TE with a stat line of 37-352-1 in his first 10 games. Mark J.
Rebilas-Imagn Images Loveland owns the perfect combination of size and speed that should help him thrive at the NFL level. It also helps that he's a reliable route runner who isn't afraid to contribute as a blocker, which will be an asset to a Chargers offense that is averaging the 12th-most rushing yards on the 10th-most attempts per game in 2024. If Loveland winds up being a household NFL name, regardless of where he plays, Harbaugh would be the last person to be surprised.
The ex-Michigan head coach has always expected big things from his former pupil. "Colston Loveland, he’s our version of Travis Kelce," Harbaugh told Michigan reporter Trevor Woods back in November 2023 . "He’s that kind of superstar player.
" While Harbaugh would likely welcome a reunion with Loveland, there's no telling if the highly touted tight end will still be available when the Chargers are on the clock in April. Related: Fans Are Saying the Same Thing About Jim Harbaugh After Chargers-Bengals.
