Marlin Klein TE Michigan |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #17 ROLE: Slot Blocking TE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/25/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.61 seconds (87%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 23.10 DOB: 09/17/2002 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #17 | |
| ROLE: Slot Blocking TE | |
| Last Updated: 03/25/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.61 seconds (87%*) | |
| Age: 23.10 DOB: 09/17/2002 | |
| Overall Rating: | 82.4 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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81% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 81.6 | |
| Hands: |
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62% |
| Short Receiving: |
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70% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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72% |
| Deep Threat: |
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71% |
| Blocking: |
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67% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#156
Position rank:
#11 (TE)
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| College Games: 28 College Snaps: 848 | ||
ESPN RATING: 78/100
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247 RATING: 88/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.7 (93%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Josh Whyle - Cincinnati |
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87% |
| AJ Barner - Michigan |
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87% |
| Luke Musgrave - Oregon State |
|
82% |
Drafted: ROUND: 2 - Pick Number: 59 (HOU)
Draft Profile: Bio
Marlin Klein's path to Ann Arbor is unlike just about any other prospect you will find in this draft class. Born and raised in Cologne, Germany, Klein spent his first two years of high school playing American football for the Cologne Crocodiles before making the decision to uproot his entire life and move to the United States. He landed at Rabun Gap-Nacoochee School in Georgia ahead of his junior year, where he put together back-to-back productive seasons as a prep tight end, totaling 39 receptions, 601 yards, and nine touchdowns across his final two years. That was enough to earn him three-star ratings across the major recruiting services, ranking as a consensus top-30 tight end nationally and drawing Power 5 offers from Florida State, Ole Miss, West Virginia, and others before ultimately choosing Michigan.Klein's first two years in Ann Arbor were about patience and development. He appeared in just two games as a true freshman in 2022, and his sophomore season in 2023 was spent almost entirely on special teams, with only one catch for eight yards across ten appearances. The turning point came in 2024. When starter Colston Loveland missed significant time with injuries, Klein stepped into a larger role and delivered 13 catches for 108 yards across all 13 games, earning the team's Most Improved Player on Offense award. It was his junior season that signaled to coaches and scouts alike that Klein's physical tools were starting to catch up with his football understanding.
By 2025, Klein was Michigan's starting tight end and a team captain. He opened the year with a career day against New Mexico: six catches, 93 yards, and his first collegiate touchdown. Although his production tailed off as the season progressed and Michigan's offense struggled to find consistency under freshman quarterback Bryce Underwood, Klein still finished with 24 receptions for 248 yards and one score in 11 games. He earned All-Big Ten honorable mention recognition from both coaches and media, and was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection throughout his career, a four-year letterman who appeared in 36 games overall with 12 starts at tight end.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Outstanding top-end speed for his size, the kind that forces safeties to respect the vertical threat and opens up intermediate windows underneath.
- Long strider who eats up ground once he gets rolling, particularly dangerous on crossers and seam routes where he can build into his speed.
- Strong hands at the catch point with real grip strength; he attacks the ball aggressively and plucks it away from defenders rather than body-catching.
- Versatile alignment profile, lining up inline, in the slot, at H-back, and even split wide, giving offensive coordinators schematic flexibility to create mismatches.
- Competitive and physical run blocker who brings effort and a wide base; he drove defenders down the line effectively on angle blocks throughout 2024 and 2025.
- Legitimate developmental upside given he only started playing organized American football in high school; there is still a lot of untapped ceiling here for the right coaching staff.
- Tough over the middle of the field with zero fumbles in his college career; he willingly works the seam and absorbs contact without shying away from traffic.
- Quick initial release off the line of scrimmage that puts defenders on their heels before they can jam him, creating early separation even when the route itself is still developing.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Route tree remains limited and his cuts lack the fluidity you want from a tight end who can threaten all three levels consistently at the next level.
- Blocking technique is a real concern despite the willingness; hand placement is erratic and he gets stacked and shed by bigger edge defenders too often on film.
- Production at Michigan was never overwhelming, with just 38 career receptions across four years, leaving a thin resume of work to project from confidently.
- Not a tackle-breaker after the catch; his yards-after-contact numbers are modest and he lacks the power or elusiveness to consistently turn short throws into chunk plays.
- Contested catch rate was poor in 2025, winning on just two of five truly contested opportunities, which raises questions about his ability to win at the point of attack in tight coverage.
Scouting Report: Summary
Klein is a fascinating evaluation because the physical tools genuinely pop when you watch him work. A 6'6" tight end who can run the way he does is always going to get attention from NFL personnel departments, and for good reason. When he gets into the open field on a seam route or a well-designed crosser, he looks like a different player than the guy who sometimes disappears in the box score. The speed and the length are real. The question is whether everything around those tools can catch up in time to matter at the pro level.The blocking is the most polarizing part of this tape. One scout report praises his leverage and effort as an inline blocker, while another calls him a willing but ineffective run blocker. Having watched myself, I think the truth sits somewhere between those two takes. Klein competes. He wants to block and plays with an edge doing it. But his hand placement is inconsistent, he struggles to anchor against stronger edge rushers, and too many reps end with him getting walked back into the pocket or losing his positioning entirely. A patient offensive line coach can work with the effort and the frame, but it is not a finished product by any stretch.
At his core, Klein profiles as a developmental number two tight end whose ceiling is tied directly to how much polish a coaching staff can add to his route running and blocking technique. In an offense that utilizes play-action heavily and asks its tight end to work the middle of the field with occasional vertical shots, Klein could find a role relatively quickly. He is not the kind of tight end who is going to carry a passing offense or command targets, but in the right system with a commitment to his growth, there is a useful NFL player here. The Germany-to-Michigan journey shows the kind of competitiveness and adaptability that translates, and the fact that he only started playing this sport seriously a few years ago means there may be more development left in the tank than your typical Day 3 tight end.
Marlin Klein percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Marlin Klein (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
143.9
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
13.0
*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.