BACKGROUND: Luke Lachey (luh-SHAY), the youngest of five children (three girls, two boys), was born and raised in the Columbus, Ohio, area with his parents (Jim and Ann), who met at Ohio State in 1984. Jim was an All-America offensive tackle for the Buckeyes (1981-84) before being selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round (No. 12) of the 1985 NFL Draft. Jim played 11 seasons in the NFL, earned first-team All-Pro honors three straight years (1989-91) and won a Super Bowl with Washington in 1991. Jim has been the Ohio State radio network's color analyst for the last 28 football seasons and was part of the ownership group of the Columbus Destroyers in the Arena League (also coached the offensive line). Luke Lachey played football growing up but was focused more on basketball, his first love. Like his four older siblings, Lachey attended Grandview Heights High, where he was a star athlete. He was a varsity starter for the basketball team as a freshman and shared the court with his older brother (James) for two seasons. He also played with James on the football field, although Luke didn't see as much action as a freshman or sophomore (16 combined catches). James signed with Bowling Green as a tight end in the 2018 recruiting class but played only one season, because of issues related to concussions. As a junior captain, Luke Lachey became a varsity starter and played both offense (wide receiver and tight end) and defense (cornerback). He earned second-team all-state in 2018 with 45 catches for 763 yards and 12 touchdowns, adding three interceptions and two kickoff returns for touchdowns. As a senior captain, Lachey led Grandview to the 2020 Division 6 playoff semifinals and was named first-team all-state, all-district and all-conference. He caught 57 passes for 741 yards and seven touchdowns while also filling in at quarterback and running back, adding 357 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Lachey also collected five interceptions in 2020. He was a four-year starter on the basketball court and averaged 18.0 points per game as a junior, earning honorable mention all-state honors. As a senior, he averaged 16.7 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.7 blocks per game and surpassed 1,000 career points. Lachey also joined the track team for his final two years of high school. He had personal bests of 23.84 seconds in the 200 meters, 50.92 in the 400 and 6 feet, 6 inches in the high jump. A four-star recruit, Lachey was the 11th-ranked tight end in the 2020 recruiting class and the No. 7 recruit in Ohio. He received recruiting looks for basketball, including an offer from Bowling Green. During his junior season, though, Lachey decided to go the football route in college. He grew up in the shadows of Ohio Stadium, with plenty of connections to the Buckeyes — his parents, three sisters and several extended family members graduated from Ohio State; his older sister (Emily) married former Ohio State offensive lineman Pat Elflein; Luke's girlfriend (Emma Hall, who also attended Grandview Heights) is an honors student at Ohio State. He also has two uncles (Jim's brothers) who have been part of the program: Ron, a walk-on long snapper (1988-90); Rob, Ohio State's head equipment manager since 2004. However, Ohio State saw Luke Lachey as a 210-pound project and asked him to grayshirt. Instead, Lachey looked elsewhere and picked up more than 20 offers, including from LSU, Michigan State and Wisconsin. But he was drawn to the tradition of tight ends at Iowa and committed to head coach Kirk Ferentz the summer before his senior season. Lachey was the top-ranked recruit in the Hawkeyes' 2020 class. He was a dean's list student at Iowa and a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree. Lachey graduated with a degree in enterprise leadership (May 2024). He accepted his invitation to the East-West Shrine Bowl. STRENGTHS: ● Decent-sized frame for the position, with room for additional bulk ● Smooth athlete; transitions weight well out of breaks to create quick windows (could have played college basketball) ● Deliberate with route footwork to affect coverage (loves circus routes) ● Strong, dependable hands (only three drops on 111 career targets) ● Consistently catches the ball off his shoe tops or outside his frame ● Willing inline blocker who keeps edge defenders occupied ● Shows fight after the catch and always has his eyes on the sticks ● Latches onto defenders in motion and escorts them away from the ball ● Work ethic and commitment were ingrained in him early as the youngest in a family of athletes ● Senior captain and "the same guy every day," according to NFL scouts WEAKNESSES: ● One-speed athlete who lacks suddenness in his movements ● Wasn't a factor downfield (only four of 28 catches in 2024 came on targets of 10 yards or more) ● Occasionally gives first defender the slip but doesn't have breakaway capabilities ● Late sifting through traffic near the line and when entering his route ● Average balance through contact as a blocker — ends up on the ground more than you'd like ● Would like to see him tighten up his blocking hands ● Broken fibula in right ankle, which required season-ending surgery (Sept. 2023) and six months of rehabilitation; missed one game (and parts of others) as senior because of quad injury (Oct. 2024) SUMMARY: A two-year starter at Iowa, Lachey was a Y tight end in offensive coordinator Tim Lester's pro-style scheme (63.8 percent of snaps inline; 29.4 percent in the slot). The top-ranked recruit in the Hawkeyes' 2020 class, he is next up in the Iowa-to-NFL pipeline, despite below-average college production caused by injuries and a listless passing offense (only one red zone catch and zero touchdowns over his final two seasons). Strictly an underneath target in 2024, Lachey is an average speed player and more smooth than explosive, but he efficiently transfers his momentum in and out of breaks to give his quarterback a target on stick routes. Bigger defenders will give him trouble inline in the run game, but he is at his best when he can latch and drive on the move. Overall, Lachey doesn't have any dynamic elements in his game, but he catches the ball cleanly and is willing to do the dirty work in the run game. His competitive wiring will help him compete for a backup role in the NFL.
