Josh Cuevas TE Alabama |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #80 ROLE: Inline Receiving TE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 01/19/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.65 seconds (80%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #80 | |
| ROLE: Inline Receiving TE | |
| Last Updated: 01/19/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.65 seconds (80%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 79.6 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
|
84% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 119.5 | |
| Hands: |
|
73% |
| Short Receiving: |
|
80% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
|
82% |
| Deep Threat: |
|
80% |
| Blocking: |
|
65% |
|
DRAFT PROJECTION:
UDFA
Overall Rank:
#257
Position rank:
#20 (TE)
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| College Games: 54 College Snaps: 1656 | ||
| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Brevin Jordan - Miami |
|
100% |
| James Mitchell - Virginia Tech |
|
91% |
| Brenton Strange - Penn State |
|
86% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 173 (BAL)
Draft Profile: Bio
Josh Cuevas arrived at Alabama the old-fashioned way: he earned it. The North Hollywood native starred as a two-way player at Campbell Hall High School, racking up 55 catches for 700 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior while also notching 62 tackles, including 10 for loss. Standing 6-3, 256 pounds with a December 29, 2001 birthday, Cuevas took the long road through college football. He began at Cal Poly, where he emerged as a legitimate pass-catching threat, hauling in 57 receptions for 622 yards and six touchdowns as a redshirt freshman to earn third-team All-Big Sky honors in 2022.The FCS production caught the attention of Washington, where Cuevas made the jump to Power Five football in 2023. In one season with the Huskies, playing alongside Michael Penix Jr. during their run to the national championship game, Cuevas caught four passes for 164 yards and a touchdown across all 15 games. When Kalen DeBoer packed up for Tuscaloosa, Cuevas followed his head coach. The familiarity with DeBoer's system gave him a head start, and after a productive 2024 campaign as a rotational piece (16 catches, 218 yards, one touchdown), he stepped into the starting role as a senior.
The 2025 season showcased what Cuevas could do with a featured role. He started 11 games before a late-season injury shelved him for the final two regular season contests and the SEC Championship, but still finished with 37 catches for 411 yards and four touchdowns. He was named to the Mackey Award Watch List and the Hispanic College Football Player of the Year Watch List. Cuevas earned multiple player-of-the-week honors from the Alabama coaching staff, including a game against Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff where he posted a team-high 80 receiving yards on six catches with a 25-yard touchdown. He returned from injury to contribute 35 yards on three catches in the CFP rematch and grabbed four passes for 35 yards against Indiana before declaring for the draft.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Nasty route runner for a tight end. Snaps off his stems and eats up cushion, creating windows at the intermediate level that quarterbacks love.
- This kid can go get it vertically. Tracks the deep ball over his shoulder like a wideout and stretches the seam with legit speed for his size.
- Plucks the ball away from his body with strong hands. Watch the Oklahoma tape and you see him extending through contact to finish catches.
- North-south guy after the catch. No dancing, no wasted motion. Catches it and gets downhill immediately to pick up extra yardage.
- Knows how to work the boundary. Keeps his feet in, bodies up defenders, and understands leverage when the ball is thrown to the sideline.
- Four years at three programs and 54 games of experience. This is a grown man who has seen every coverage and knows how to prepare.
- Played for DeBoer at Washington and followed him to Tuscaloosa. Already speaks the language of a pro-style passing game.
- Gutted it out in the CFP after missing time with injury. Shows up when the lights are brightest and his team needs a play.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Ball adjustment is inconsistent. When throws drift or come in hot, he fights himself trying to recalibrate rather than trusting his hands.
- Blocking is serviceable at best. He will give you effort, but he gets walked back too easily and struggles to sustain at the point of attack.
- Undersized at 6-3 for an NFL tight end. That lack of length shows up in contested catch situations against longer, rangier defenders.
- Tested around the 50th percentile athletically. There is no second gear to pull away from pursuit or win with pure speed.
- Missed time late in his senior year with an injury that lingered into the postseason. Medical evaluation will need to clear that concern.
Scouting Report: Summary
Cuevas is a polished route runner who knows how to uncover in zone coverage and settle into soft spots. He is not going to run past linebackers or safeties, but he understands spacing and timing at a level you do not always see from college tight ends. His receiving production across all three levels of the field lands in solid territory, and he consistently converts first downs when targeted. That kind of reliability carries real value on Sundays.Here is the deal: this is a Day Three tight end who can contribute as a TE2 or TE3 from Year One. His blocking needs work before he can handle the full menu of responsibilities, but coordinators running play-action heavy schemes or spread concepts will appreciate what he brings to the passing game. Move him around the formation, get him isolated on a linebacker, and trust him to execute his assignment. Nothing spectacular, but nothing unreliable either.
The floor is a solid backup who provides depth and special teams value. The ceiling is a rotational receiver who earns 25-30 snaps per game in passing situations. Teams looking for a developmental blocker with reliable hands and a professional approach should have Cuevas on their board. He is not a guy who changes your offense, but he is the type of complementary piece that winning teams always seem to find in the later rounds.
Josh Cuevas percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Josh Cuevas (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
189.6
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
15.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.