Houston Texans Draft TE Luke Lachey in Round 7

The Houston Texans selected Iowa TE Luke Lachey in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft. He was the top-ranked recruit in the Hawkeyes’ 2020 class but failed to live up to the hype. Lachey tallied a 28-398-4 line behind TE Sam LaPorta in 2022. But an ankle injury limited him to three games and required surgery in 2023, and Lachey managed only 28 catches for 231 scoreless yards this past year. He played in an anemic Iowa passing game, but his 65.7 Pro Football Focus receiving grade ranked just 15th among 21 TEs at the Combine. Lachey was used primarily near the line of scrimmage (6.3-yard average target depth) and averaged just 3.5 yards after the catch per reception last year. He registered a 7.42 Relative Athletic Score at the Combine. The recent success of Iowa TEs in the NFL is about all that Lachey has working in his favor.