Josh
Cuevas.
Josh
Cuevas.
Alabama· 6'3"· 245 lb· 4.65s 40
R5 · #173 · Baltimore Ravens"Late-blooming Y-tight end with an FCS-to-SEC transfer arc, plus route sense and reliable hands, but an average athlete whose blocking will decide the pro floor."Pre-draft read
Attached to either side, he motions into wing and short-slot looks as an in-line Y, winning with route detail and body control. He excels on option routes, seam benders, and red zone back-shoulder throws, using a wide catch radius and steady mitts. He tracks the ball through contact, adjusting to off-target throws, snapping his head around late. His selling point is length and savvy at the top of the stem where he reads leverage and can flip a two-way go into a friendly landmark.
As a willing and technically sound in-line blocker even if his average play strength can get him walked back by heavier edges. His straight-line movement is functional, not sudden; he creates separation with timing and hand use, lacking the vertical gear to stress the middle of the field.
Shanahan outside zone is the ideal system for Josh Cuevas, emphasizing controlled movement, precise route-running, and utilizing tight ends as critical components in both the run and pass game. Alignment versatility is also key to this system.
As an immediate Year 1 contributor, Cuevas can serve as a quality No. 2 tight end who excels as a move blocker and in the short-to-intermediate passing game, with the ceiling to develop into a high-volume chain-mover from multiple alignments.
A traditional vertical passing game that relies on tight ends to win deep downfield with pure speed against two-high safeties would severely limit his contributions.
Cuevas's savvy route-running and willingness to block make him a valuable asset in a system that prioritizes intelligence and versatility over raw athleticism.
Josh Cuevas Alabama Highlights
Josh Cuevas 2025 Highlights | Alabama TE 🐘 ᴴᴰ
Josh Cuevas (TE) 🔥 | 2025 Alabama Highlights | Welcome to the Baltimore Ravens
He projects as a developmental Y-tight end, possessing the polish and route-running ability to contribute in a modern 12-personnel offense. His ability to read leverage on routes and reliably catch contested throws provides a clear path to becoming a dependable intermediate target for an offense. At 6-3½ and 245 pounds, he offers a stable physical profile that complements his technical game.
His college career progressed across three programs, culminating in a senior showcase at Alabama where he became the Tide's most trusted intermediate target. He recorded a season-high six catches for 80 yards and a 25-yard touchdown in a late-season game, demonstrating his ability to produce in key moments. This production surge under a new offensive scheme highlighted his adaptability and readiness for increased responsibility.
Evaluators noted his polish and the significant production spike in the SEC relative to his prior college pedigree. Concerns centered on his average twitch and sub-30-inch arms, which evaluators believed could limit his blocking ceiling. Consensus projected him as a Day 3 developmental Y-tight end, with a real path to a TE2 role if his run-blocking translates to the professional game. He was drafted in the fifth round with the 173rd pick.
- 01
Reads leverage well
Reads leverage late and converts two-way go routes into favorable throws, particularly on option routes and quick outs.
- 02
Reliable hands, body control
Reliable hands and body control allow winning back-shoulder and jump-ball reps versus smaller safeties in the red zone.
- 03
Red zone efficiency
Utilized as a high-low option inside the 20, he displayed an efficient touchdown rate on limited targets in 2025.
- 04
Technical blocker
Understands angles, maintains hand placement inside the frame, and finishes reps standing up rather than lunging.
- 05
Adjusts to throws
A late-hand catcher who adjusts to off-target throws behind or below, a trait seen on Oklahoma explosive plays.
- 01
Arm length concern
Sub-30-inch arms (30 5/8") are undersized to reset heavy edges, limiting his ceiling as a full-time Y-blocker in gap schemes.
- 02
Lacks vertical threat
He rarely threatens the deep seam and gets caught by second-level defenders on square-in and post routes against faster safeties.
- 03
Average play strength
His play strength is average, allowing heavier defensive ends to walk him back at the point of attack and struggle on second-effort blocks.
- 04
Thin resume
His career totals of 60-817-6 across four seasons lean heavily on the 2025 Alabama sample, posing risk for an older prospect.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.65sp50
- Vertical
- 34inp50
- Broad jump
- 118inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.37sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.38sp50
- Bench
- —rep
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Cal Poly | 11 | 58 | 678 | 6 |
| 2023 | Washington | 15 | 4 | 164 | 1 |
| 2024 | Alabama | 13 | 16 | 218 | 1 |
| 2025 | Alabama | 12 | 37 | 411 | 4 |
| Career | — | 51 | 115 | 1471 | 12 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- Ty SimpsonQB24%
- Germie BernardWR10%
- Keelon RussellQB9%
#8 of 20 tracked contributors · Production leaned on volume · Offense explosiveness 1.27 (p65) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Blocking-plus-hands TE2 who carves out a long career as a trusted intermediate target inside 12-personnel.
Late-round Y whose route detail and red-zone feel outgrew ordinary testing to become a decade-long starter.
Older late-round Y who never earns full-time snaps and rotates through three or four practice-squad stops.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
**Pre-draft context** Cuevas is the kind of prospect NFL scouting departments quietly love and public boards routinely miss — an older Y-tight end who took the slow road from FCS Cal Poly to a Washington waystation to a final-season showcase at Alabama. He measured cleanly in Indianapolis at 6-3½, 245, 30 5/8" arms, and tested where the tape said he would (4.65 forty, 34-inch vert, 7.37 three-cone), which meant the tape had to keep carrying him. Coaches at every stop pointed to the same traits: hands, route detail and low-maintenance football character. The consensus was a developmental Y-2 with a route tree suited to modern 12-personnel offenses and enough blocking foundation to earn early-down snaps.
**NFL fit — Ravens** Landing in Baltimore is a soft place to land. The Ravens rebuild their tight-end depth chart every couple of years and consistently reward Y-types who can block on the edge and catch the manageable route tree. Cuevas will not threaten Mark Andrews or Isaiah Likely for targets, but the third TE role in 12- and 13-personnel is very much in play, and the Ravens use those bodies more than almost any other roster. Expect a redshirt-style rookie year on special teams and short-yardage packages, with a real chance to grow into the seam-and-flat role Baltimore has historically kept alive.
**Retrospective** The bet on Cuevas is a bet on late blooming. If the athletic profile plays as advertised — steady, unspectacular, dependable — he becomes the kind of TE2 who quietly banks an eight- or nine-year career and never trends on draft Twitter. If the arm length and twitch shortfall expose him against NFL edges and safeties, he becomes a camp body who bounces through three practice squads. Baltimore's usage patterns give him the fairest possible chance to land in the first category, but the projection is genuinely uncertain in a way most Day 3 tight ends are not.