Ohio State Pro Day Review – Buccaneers Edition
Nick Vannett – TE
Last season, Buckeyes tight end Jeff Heuerman was drafted in the third round by the world champion Denver Broncos.
This season, Ohio State has another tight end prospect coming out who isn’t nearly as known as Heuerman was, and seemingly is not getting the attention his talents should receive.
Vannett had a very impressive combine where he showed some of the best hands and route running in the entire group. In a field being led by Arkansas’ Henry Hunter and Stanford’s Austin Hooper, the 6’6” Westerville, OH native just isn’t being talked about much.
This is good news for the Buccaneers. Starting tight-end Austin Seferian-Jenkins has been in the NFL for two seasons, and has played 16 games. Injuries have bitten his career in half already, and the team needs a healthy infusion of pass-catching youth.
With Seferian-Jenkins out, the tight position turned into a target of little concern as the remainder of the depth chart in Tampa just doesn’t elicit respect among defenders in the passing game. Vannett wasn’t well known in Ohio State’s defense which relied on the run and quick short passes to the likes of Braxton Miller more than it did traditional seam routes and deep passes. However, one look at this prospect and it’s easy to see the NFL potential in his size and athleticism, which will only get better as his training progresses.
Through individual workouts Vannett could climb into the third round for some teams, but if he’s still on the board at pick number 108, he would be a steal for the Buccaneers and might become the second consecutive impact player found in the fourth round.