OVERVIEW
Vannett grew up in Westerville, Ohio, where OSU football is King. Though he was not utilized to his full potential in the Buckeyes passing attack, theres no reason that he shouldn't be as valued as former teammate Jeff Heuerman, who was a 2015 third-round pick of the Denver Broncos. He has NFL size and hands, earning honorable mention All-Big Ten selection with 19 catches for 162 yards in 2015. Vannett had similar production (19-220) but more red zone targets (scoring five times) as a junior after spare usage as a redshirt freshman (two starts, 9-123) and sophomore (8-80, one TD).
PRO DAY RESULTS
40-yard dash: 4.85 seconds
Vertical: 29 1/2 inches
Broad jump: 9 feet, 5 inches
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Endowed with an all-day NFL body type. Carries long limbs and big hands on a muscular, athletic frame. Comfortable hands in traffic and can make the heavily contested catch. Not afraid of taking a hit over the middle to secure the throw. Fluid mover and has the flexibility to sink and run sharp angle routes. Has body control and catch radius to pluck it high or low. Has size and ability to handle inline blocking assignments and will battle once he's locked into a one-on-one fight. Was trusted to help in pass protection. Lined up wide, in slot and as both move and inline tight end. Finds his place against zone and works himself into open, easy throws for quarterbacks on the move.
WEAKNESSES Allows defender to crowd him on seam routes. Will need to improve hand fighting and leverage to create late separation for catches. Needs to be tougher at point of attack as a blocker. As move tight end, didnt always fire downhill into his iso blocks. Allows defensive ends and outside linebackers to bring the fight to him. Routes need refining for better separation against man coverage. Run after catch potential not realized because his legs are easy targets for secondary to chop down.
DRAFT PROJECTION Rounds 3 or 4
NFL COMPARISON Zach Ertz
BOTTOM LINE Vannett's combination of size and athleticism will be very attractive to teams in search of a combination tight end who can stay on the field and operate from a variety of personnel groupings and formations. Vannett will need to embrace his size and become more aggressive as a blocker, but his athleticism and pass catching ability could turn him into a safety blanket for a quarterback in need of a big, safe target.
Draft Analysis
WHAT HE BRINGS
Vannett has prototypical measurables along with above-average athleticism as a two-way Y-tight end. He was not heavily targeted in the Buckeyes' offense due to scheme and the abnormal amount of talent on the offense. He has quality agility for his size and has the ability to create separation in the intermediate-to-underneath part of the field. Vannett also shows the toughness to do the dirty work the position requires, and he is an improved blocker with an above-average inline power base. He has a chance to develop into a quality starting tight end who should be more productive in the NFL. -- Kevin Weidl
Draft Results
Overall Football Traits
Production 4
Height-Weight-Speed 3
Durability 1
Intangibles 2
1 = EXCEPTIONAL 2 = ABOVE AVERAGE 3 = AVERAGE 4 = BELOW AVERAGE5 = MARGINAL
Tight End Specific Traits
Separation Skills 3 Precise, strong and determined route runner. Not easily rerouted by LBs. Effective using size and strength to separate from defenders by creating contact.Shows adequate burst out of break. Good feel for locating soft spots in zone. Also does a nice job of working back to his QB once initial play breaks down.
Ball Skills 2 Usually attacks the ball with his hands (away from his frame). Flashes the ability to make a tough catch in traffic. Uses frame well to shield defenders from the ball in contested situations. Not an explosive athlete or leaper but has enough size and strength to make an impact 50/50 situations particularly in the red zone.
Big Play Ability 3 Average speed for the position but enough wheels to threaten the intermediate part of the field. .Not overly elusive after the catch, but he transitions quickly and is a powerful runner who will break some tackles. Consistently falls forward for yards at the end of runs. Will never be an elite deep threat at the TE position,
Competitiveness 2 Willing to do the dirty work the position requires. Tough, competitive runner after the catch. No fear working the middle of the field as a receiver. Noticeably took more pride in terms of competitiveness as a blocker in 2015.
Blocking 2 Continued to improve in this area in his first full season as a starter. Uses good angles when blocking down and when working in space. Frequently leads with his shoulder and gets a good initial shot, but needs to be more consistent firing his hands inside and keeping his feet moving in order to sustain. Able to be relied upon in pass pro. Shows quality core strength, shuffles feet well and shows quality balance sliding laterally .
1 = EXCEPTIONAL 2 = ABOVE AVERAGE 3 = AVERAGE 4 = BELOW AVERAGE5 = MARGINAL
Status Report
Vannett has an ideal frame (one of the best in show at the SR Bowl), enough athleticism and experience as both an F (move TE) and Y (inline TE) for the next level. He is just a one year starter and had marginal production in 2015 -- 19 catches for 169 yards and 0 TDS -- due to scheme and the amount of talent he was surrounded by on the Buckeyes offense. However, Vannett took advantage of the SR bowl where he had a strong performance showcasing his route running and ball skills. Vannett should have more impact at the pro level than in college and is worthy of a top-75 selection. April 3, 2016