Vikings Draft Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew

Bartholomew is the first Panthers tight end that earned a draft selection since 2010, when the San Francisco 49ers took Nate Byham in the sixth round and the Houston Texans selected Dorin Dickerson in the seventh round.

The Vikings also make Bartholomew the 11th player they've drafted out of Pitt, as they took both defensive end Patrick Jones III and defensive tackle Jaylen Twyman in the third round and sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft, respectively.

He came out of Blue Mountain High School in Schuylkill Haven, Pa. with little fan fare and Pitt as his only Power Five offer.

Bartholomew had a great freshman season in 2021, playing in all 14 games and starting eight as Pitt won the ACC Championship.

With Heisman finalist quarterback Kenny Pickett under center, Bartholomew made 27 catches for 317 yards and four touchdowns. He earned an All-ACC Honourable Mention, as well as second team Freshman All-American honors from The Athletic and Pro Football Network for his efforts.

The next two seasons should've shown improvement for Bartholomew, but his stats remained either similar or lesser than his freshman campaign.

Offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti Jr. didn't put much emphasis into getting Bartholomew the ball as much, plus the struggles of quarterbacks like Kedon Slovis, Phil Jurkovec and Christian Veilleux, led to a stagnation in statistical production. 

Bartholomew had 21 catches for 283 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore in 2022 and then only 18 catches for 326 yards and a touchdown as a junior last season. 

He finished his senior season in 2024 with a career-high 38 catches for 322 yards and tied his career-high with four touchdowns.

Bartholomew had a season-high five catches for 59 yards in the 55-24 victory over Kent State in the season opener.

He grabbed one touchdown each in the home losses to Virginia in Week 12 and Clemson in Week 13 and then two touchdown catches in the road loss to Boston College in Week 14, his first multi-touchdown game.

Bartholomew earned a spot in the Senior Bowl, where scouts got to see him perform. He also excelled at the NFL Combine, showing NFL teams he has what it takes at the next level.

He visited with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New Orleans Saints before the NFL Draft.

Bartholomew finished his Pitt career with 105 catches for 1,257 yards and 11 touchdowns in 50 games.

He is also the second Pitt player to go in the 2025 NFL Draft, as the Los Angeles Chargers took offensive tackle Branson Taylor with the No. 199 overall pick, just three behind Bartholomew.