It's no secret that Michigan tight end Colston Loveland is the consensus favorite among LA Chargers fans in the 2025 NFL Draft. It also isn't much of a secret that unless Loveland falls due to medical concerns, there is a very slim chance the Chargers will have a chance to take him with the No. 22 pick.
The combination of this being a thin draft class and Loveland being one of the true blue-chippers in the draft makes him a candidate to go in the first half of the first round. As it stands right now, the Indianapolis Colts appears to be the runaway threat to take Loveland.
Indianapolis naturally won't be the only team interested in Loveland in the 2025 NFL Draft. In fact, the worst possible team for the Chargers has now entered the chat as a potential candidate to take Loveland before the Bolts are on the clock.
The Broncos have “long been connected to having a love affair” with TE Coleston Loveland, per @MoveTheSticks.
— Amir Farrell (@BroncosAve) April 21, 2025
Jeremiah thinks Denver will pick RB Omarion Hampton at 20 but believes things could get interesting if Loveland slips to them. (via @minakimes show) pic.twitter.com/5U9EOpXujs
Broncos emerge as a threat to draft Colston Loveland before Chargers can
Daniel Jeremiah is convinced the Broncos will draft UNC's Omarion Hampton with the No. 20 pick in the draft but as he mentions here, Loveland falling to the team would complicate things.
It makes all the sense in the world why the Saints would prioritize Loveland if he is on the board. Loveland would give quarterback Bo Nix a great pass-catching weapon to futher aid his development. Plus, Sean Payton is pretty good at coaching top-tier pass-catching tight ends.
Denver signed Evan Engram earlier this offseason but that seemingly does not take Loveland out of play. If anything, it may motivate the Broncos to lean into a strength to simply take the best pass-catcher on the board (which Loveland would likely be).
This truly would be the nightmare scenario for the Chargers as the team wouldn't just miss out on Loveland, but would have to swallow the extremely tough pill of him playing for a bitter rival.
Loveland falling past the Colts already seems like a far-fetched reality. Now Chargers fans cannot even celebrate that possibility as it will only open the door for an even worse outcome.
Of course, there is a counter the Chargers have at their disposal to keep this from happening: trading up in the draft. There are several teams between the No. 14 and No. 2 pick that should be interested in trading down if the price is right.
But that brings up another question: is it worth trading extra draft capital to move up for a tight end? Loveland is great, but tight ends traditionally don't have a ton of positional value in the NFL Draft.
In the best-case scenario, Loveland dodges his way through several potential landing spots to reunite with Jim Harbaugh in Los Angeles. But after this intel, Loveland getting taken by the Colts does not seem like a bad outcome.