After four years and one national championship with the Michigan football team, tight end Marlin Klein decided to enter the NFL Draft. Friday night, the Houston Texans proved it to be a wise decision.
In selecting Klein with the 59th pick in the draft, the Texans are getting a tight end with exceptional size and speed who has personally advertised himself as a strong run blocker and special teams presence in his draft statement.
A Cologne, Germany native, Klein saw minimal playing time for most of his career with the Wolverines, until Colston Loveland went out for an extended period in 2024. Klein caught 13 passes for 108 yards that season.
Then in 2025, Klein was named the starting tight end for Michigan and lived up to the name early on. In the first game of the season against New Mexico, Klein caught six receptions for 93 yards and snagged the first and only touchdown of his career.
After the contest with the Lobos, though, Klein’s production fell off a cliff. In between that first game and the last of the season, Klein only caught 14 more passes and never found the endzone again.
Klein most likely wasn’t selected this high in the draft because of the production he recorded in college, but rather due to the attributes that make him a strong NFL candidate — his size, frame and speed are all equally eyecatching for scouts.
As Klein heads to Houston, he’ll hope his athletic build is enough to bump up his production as he prepares for the next level.
