Report: MSU Veteran Among 2026 NFL Draft TE Prospects

Originally posted on Michigan State Spartans on SI
By Aidan Champion | Last updated May 7, 2025 4:01 PM ET

Jack Velling didn't have the year Michigan State fans had expected him to have in his first year with the Green and White.

While Michigan State's transfers from Oregon State last year were headlined by quarterback Aidan Chiles, Velling was anticipated to be one of the top tight ends in all of college football.

Even coach Jonathan Smith felt it was in the cards for Velling when he spoke at last year's Big Ten Football Media Days.

"Feel like his skill set and his abilities, he has a chance to be one of the best tight ends in the country," Smith said.

But that didn't prove to be the case for Velling, who recorded just 411 receiving yards and a touchdown in Year 1 with the Spartans.

The expectations remain the same going into his senior season, though.

Pro Football Focus' Max Chadwick listed Velling as one of "10 tight ends to know for the 2026 NFL Draft."

"While Velling’s first season as a Spartan wasn’t as productive as his sophomore year at Oregon State, his body of work over the past couple of years keeps him on this list," Chadwick wrote.

"Velling has scored nine touchdowns since 2023, tied for the fifth most among Power Four tight ends. His 849 receiving yards in that span rank 20th, and only five FBS tight ends have been more valuable than Velling since then, according to PFF’s Wins Above Average metric."

It's unclear whether Velling will live up to the expectations after not doing so last season. But now with a year in East Lansing under his belt, he's in a better spot than he was at this point last year.

"What do I think his [Velling's] ceiling is? Well, yeah, I think that's up to him," Velling's position coach Brian Wozniak said last month. "And that's what we hit on [with] those guys. And really, all those guys? One of the quotes we have in that tight room is: 'Argue for your limitations and they're yours.' And so, the things that we have as our quote-unquote weaknesses right now, let's build them into our strengths.

"So for him, it's being a full, all-around versatile tight end. It's not just about the pass game. For a guy like Mike [Michael Masunas], it's not just about the run game. How can he be that all-around tight end? Be the threat not only in the run, in the pass."

Some other notable tight ends Chadwick mentioned were Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers, Texas' Jack Endries and Ohio State's Max Klare.

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This article first appeared on Michigan State Spartans on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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