Ohio State tight end prospect Vannett sees some Gronkowski in himself

Ohio State’s Nick Vannett wants to become an elite tight end in the NFL, and it didn’t take him long to think about who he idolizes the most in the pro game.

“Rob Gronkowski,” said Vannett, a 6-foot-6, 255-pounder, referring to the dynamic New England Patriots’ tight end. “He’s dominant in the run and in the pass game. He’s a mismatch going down the field and he just attacks the ball. He’s a playmaker — that’s who I want to be.

“I take a lot of pride in my game. I think I’m the best and the way I work, I work like I’m the best. I want to study the best and that’s the only way you’re going to get better. I like emulating him.”

Gronkowski is the best tight end in the game and a nightmare for opposing defenses.

But the Dallas Cowboys have a pretty good tight end too, and the coaching staff at last month’s Senior Bowl made it a point to use Jason Witten as an example of the right way to do things.

Vannett, who was on the North team coached by the Cowboys, said he was shown plenty of Witten film from the staff. Witten is among the best tight ends ever to play, earlier this season becoming just the second tight end to join the 1,000-reception club.

“There were a few times we watched some film on him, just seeing how he ran routes,” Vannett said. “We pulled up a few cutups of just him and seeing how he ran it against different defenses, just trying to replicate that in the game by just watching what he’s doing.”

It came as no surprise, then, that Vannett was a big factor in the North Team’s passing game, much like Witten is for the Cowboys on Sundays.

The first offensive play of the Senior Bowl game went to Vannett — a 3-yard pass from North Dakota State’s Carson Wentz. Wentz and Vannett hooked up on a 29-yard completion later in the first quarter, and Vannett also had a 26-yard passing play from Stanford’s Kevin Hogan in the second quarter.

Vannett finished the game with three catches for 58 yards, the most receiving yards of any North player. Last season, Witten led the Cowboys in receptions (77), finished second in receiving yards (713) and tied for third in receiving touchdowns (three).

While it’s hard to fault any young tight end for revering Gronkowski, it’s also understandable why the Cowboys’ coaches raved about Witten to the young prospects throughout the week.

Coach Jason Garrett has called Witten the “most complete tight end in the game,” and has consistently praised his abilities in the run game and pass game. Just as important is how Witten handles himself off the field and becoming a role model throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth community.

“They talked about him a lot being the hardest worker on the team and things that he did that makes him so successful,” said Vannett, who is projected as a third-round pick by NFLDraftScout.com and CBS Sports’ Dane Brugler.

The NFL Draft is is April 28-30 at Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Dallas goes into the draft with five selections, one each in the first four rounds and another in the sixth.

The NFL Combine is Feb. 23-29. The official invitations have not been announced, but Vannett is expected to be among them.

“It’s kind of cool to get that advice from them and just getting information that can help our game a little bit,” Vannett said.

This story was originally published February 9, 2016 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Ohio State tight end prospect Vannett sees some Gronkowski in himself."