Jack Velling

Draft-Week Buzz

No verified pre-draft news items in the past 30 days for this prospect. See Day 2/3 Team Fits below for projected landing spots and /news.html for the cross-prospect timeline.

Background

Michigan State TE from Kaneohe (HI); Oregon State transfer receiving TE.

College Production

2022-24 OSU: 90 rec / 1,100+ yds — one of Pac-12's most productive TEs. 2025 MSU: 50 rec / 600 yds.

Scouting Take

Plus receiving TE with seam-stretcher ability. Frame (6-4, 245) not ideal for in-line blocking; power below NFL tier.

Draft Projection

UDFA. Move TE / 12-personnel role.

Sources

• ESPN Player Page
• Wikipedia
• 247Sports Profile

Our scouting profile is assembled from these primary sources + cross-checked against ESPN (Kiper / Reid / Miller), PFF's 2026 Big Board, Dane Brugler's The Beast 2026, and Daniel Jeremiah's top-50. See our full methodology and citations.

Day 2 / Day 3 Team Fits

NFL teams that lost a same-position veteran this offseason — and could target Jack Velling as a Day 2/3 replacement option.

• REPORTED Pittsburgh Steelers: moved on from Jonnu Smith (two-way-TE).
  Picks held: R1 #21; R2 #53
• REPORTED Seattle Seahawks: moved on from Will Dissly (blocking-TE).
  Picks held: R1 #32; R2 #64

Confidence: "VERIFIED" departures cite a publication URL (Spotrac, OverTheCap, ESPN, NFL.com, team transactions page) confirming the move and date. "REPORTED" entries come from public free-agency trackers without a single canonical source we could attach. Fits are archetype-and-position based; we are not claiming the team has expressed interest in the prospect.

Rookie Contract & Landing-Spot Outlook

Contract band uses the 2026 NFL CBA rookie wage scale projected from the prospect's expected pick range; guarantee % is the slot-default at that pick. Landing-spot best/worst case is derived from TEAMS data (positional needs + scheme overlap minus same-position R1 conflicts) — not a claim that either team has expressed interest.

Versatility, Limits & Roster Pathway

Derived from height/weight against the 2026 position cohort and the prospect's projected round. Versatility callouts identify alternate alignments NFL teams have historically used for similar size profiles. Limiting-trait notes flag the single most-cited measurable concern; severity reflects how often that flag ends a Day 1 starter projection. Roster-pathway notes describe the realistic Year 1 NFL role for Day 3 picks.

By the Numbers — 2026 Class Context

• Frame: Among 2026 TE prospects, his 6-4 / 245 lbs frame sits at the 78th percentile in height and 78th percentile in weight.
• Position class: Jack Velling is TE #22 of 23 ranked TEs in the 2026 class. Of those, 10 are projected in the R7/UDFA range.
• School pipeline: One of 5 Michigan State prospects in the 2026 NFL Draft — but the only TE.

Computed factually from the 2026 prospect class roster — height/weight percentiles benchmark this player against every other ranked prospect at the same position. Recruiting arc compares his high-school 247Sports/Rivals composite to his current projected round.

Jack Velling’s NFL Archetype: Sam LaPorta

Sam LaPorta (Detroit Lions)

Closest TE physical profile in the modern NFL: 6-4/245 lbs. Same frame, same role bucket — NOT a talent or career-arc projection.

Note: this is a physical-profile match — frame, position, role bucket. Not a talent or career-arc projection.

Similar Tight End Prospects

Closest matches to Jack Velling (6-4 / 245 lbs, #22 TE) by ranking proximity and physical profile. SIZE MATCH = within 1″ height and 10 lbs; TIER MATCH = within 2 ranking spots.

• Carsen RyanSIZE MATCH BYU · 6-4/245 lbs · #21 TE · UDFA
• Jeremiah FranklinSIZE MATCH Boston College · 6-4/245 lbs · #23 TE · UDFA
• RJ MarylandSIZE MATCH SMU · 6-4/240 lbs · #20 TE · UDFA
• DJ RogersSIZE MATCH TCU · 6-4/245 lbs · #19 TE · UDFA
• Latu FaatuiSIZE MATCH Arizona State · 6-4/250 lbs · #17 TE · R7-UDFA

→ Full Tight Ends rankings

Michigan State & The 2026 Class