Josh Cuevas and the hidden value behind Alabama’s latest NFL draft path
Josh Cuevas is not the clean, linear prospect story that draft rooms prefer. His route ran from a disrupted high school season to Cal Poly, then Washington, then Alabama, and now to the Baltimore Ravens, who selected him in the fifth round with the No. 173 overall pick in the NFL Draft. That path matters because it explains why his name now sits in a smaller but notable club: he became the third Crimson Tide tight end selected in the NFL Draft in the last four seasons.
What does Josh Cuevas reveal about Alabama’s tight end pipeline?
Verified fact: Alabama graduate Josh Cuevas entered the weekend with a realistic chance to extend a recent trend for the program at his position. The draft result made the point unmistakable: the Baltimore Ravens used a fifth-round pick on him, adding him to the list of recent Alabama tight ends reaching the league.
Verified fact: His production at Alabama was enough to make him one of the team’s most reliable players in 2025. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson described him as a player who could be used in many different ways, adding that Cuevas came a long way from an FCS school to Washington to Alabama and reached an All-American level. Simpson also said Cuevas was like a safety blanket and noted that not many tight ends can act like Travis Kelce and block like George Kittle.
Analysis: That comparison is not just praise. It frames Cuevas as a player whose value came from versatility rather than a single dominant trait. In draft terms, that kind of profile can be easy to overlook early and difficult to replace later, which helps explain why his rise carried so much weight by the time the NFL arrived.
Why did Josh Cuevas take such a long route to the draft?
Verified fact: Cuevas’s senior season of high school was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and he played only four games. He went without notice on the recruiting trail and began his college career at FCS Cal Poly. He redshirted in 2021 before breaking out as a redshirt freshman and earning All-Big Sky honors with 57 receptions for 622 yards and six touchdowns.
Verified fact: He then entered the transfer portal and ended up at Washington under Kalen DeBoer. At Washington, Cuevas caught four passes for 164 yards and a touchdown as the Huskies pushed to the national championship game. After that season, he entered the transfer portal again and followed DeBoer to Tuscaloosa.
Analysis: The pattern is important because it shows how the modern college game can reward persistence after disruption. For Cuevas, the interrupted high school year did not end the story; it delayed it. Each step added a different layer to his profile: production at Cal Poly, exposure at Washington, and reliability at Alabama. That combination is what ultimately made him draftable.
How did Alabama use Josh Cuevas in 2025?
Verified fact: In his last two seasons at Alabama, Cuevas recorded 53 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games. Those numbers support Simpson’s description of him as a dependable option who could be deployed in multiple ways.
Verified fact: The context around his selection also matters. Alabama has now seen three tight ends taken in the NFL Draft over the last four seasons, and Cuevas is the latest to join that group. That is a measurable sign of positional consistency inside the program, not a one-off success story.
Stakeholder position: For Alabama, Cuevas’s draft selection reinforces the program’s ability to move tight ends from college production to NFL opportunity. For the Ravens, the fifth-round choice suggests a bet on polish, flexibility, and experience across multiple systems. For Cuevas, the pick confirms that a route shaped by uncertainty can still end in draft-day value.
What should readers take from the Josh Cuevas story now?
Critical analysis: The deeper lesson is not just that Cuevas was drafted. It is that his path shows how production, adaptability, and timing can matter as much as early recruiting status. He did not arrive at Alabama as a simple blue-chip success story. He arrived after being missed in the recruiting process, after proving himself at Cal Poly, after contributing to a Washington run to the national title game, and after becoming a trusted Alabama option in 2025.
Accountability conclusion: The draft result gives public proof of what the numbers and the coaching praise already suggested: Josh Cuevas earned his place by building value at every stop. If Alabama’s recent tight end run is any indication, the broader question is whether the program can keep turning similar players into NFL picks. For now, Josh Cuevas stands as the clearest example of how a long route can still lead to the same destination.
