How High Is Dominic Lovett's Ceiling?

During the 2025 NFL Draft, Detroit Lions GM Brad Holmes & Co. appeared set on drafting from the Georgia Bulldogs, selecting athletes from the SEC Powerhouse three times in his seven selections. Dominic Lovett was the final one, coming off the board at 244 overall in the final round.

Much like any player that finds themself getting a call on day three of the NFL Draft, there is a lot of promise, along with concerns that make a player fall to these last rounds.

Lovett provides a spark, but in his case, a maddening combination of a small frame and inconsistent hands sparked his fall.

This brings the question: exactly how high is Dominic Lovett’s ceiling?

When evaluating Lovett, one thing is apparent: he is a receiver best suited to work well in space. Lovett has the shiftiness and glides through his routes. Some of the most consistent words for him are “shifty” and “quick.” Give Lovett a bubble screen, and he can emerge with 20 yards in the blink of an eye.

His timed 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash more than confirms that on-the-field speed. As a result, expect that speed to immediately translate to a gunner role, which many scouting reports also underlined for the Georgia product. 

However, he had nine drops between his last two seasons of collegiate ball for Georgia, where the speedster was unable to match his 846-yard output at Missouri in 2022. Another struggle was press coverage, where the receiver was unable to shed corners off of him.

If a quarterback can get the ball to Lovett in space, there could be big results. However, a rash of drops could scare Jared Goff, Kyle Allen, or Hendon Hooker away from looks towards Lovett during training camp and the preseason. 

Despite these flaws, Lovett also drew comparisons to a player that many Lions fans are familiar with: current Packers wideout Jayden Reed. Reed is a slightly undersized third-year pro out of Michigan State, where he also shined as a player in space, but his catching ability and radius was viewed as the main strength for the Spartan at the time. 

As a result of that consistency and overall improved output (Reed recorded a 1,026-yard season in college), the Spartan went in the second round as opposed to Lovett sliding to the final few selections on Day Three.

Lovett’s ceiling is higher than that of a normal seventh round draft pick, and firmly in the “contributor” category. Since Brad Holmes took the reins in 2021, every single Day Three selection, spare 2024 fourth rounder Giovanni Manu, has played at least eight games in their first season.

This trend will not be in jeopardy from Lovett. Expect to see the receiver on field, and potentially see meaningful snaps for the Lions if injuries take a toll. 

This could be predominately in a special teams role early, with the potential for more as a rookie if injuries take their toll on Detroit's receiving depth. With Kalif Raymond and Tim Patrick both in the last year of their contracts, Lovett could get more opportunities in his second season.

However, the ceiling could be called that of a depth contributor, unlike fellow day three pick Amon-Ra St. Brown, for example. Concerns with drops, a mostly mental error, and press coverage, especially at Lovett's size (5-foot-10), usually do not get cured on the pro levels, no matter the quality of coaching. 

Additionally, these struggles against press coverage likely limit him to exclusively slot-receiver reps on the offensive side.

Is it likely that Ford Field will have droves of fans wearing Lovett jerseys in the stands in 2029? Not very much. However, could he see a starting assignment or two, or provide a clutch special teams play before his rookie deal expires? Count on it.