After five years in the Buckeye program following an outstanding prep career at Westerville Central, former four-star recruit Nick Vannett is finally set to take his talents to the NFL.
An honorable mention All-B1G performer as a senior, Vannett slots ninth in school history in receptions by a tight end and is tied for 10th in touchdown grabs.
Like most Ohio State tight ends, Vannett didn't put up huge collegiate numbers but his skill-set and measurables have draftniks thinking he could go as high as the 3rd round in April's draft.
How his draft slot projects to actual on-field success is anyone's guess in the inexact science that is the NFL. So what type of pro career will Vannett need to have to rank among the best former tight ends to play their college ball in Columbus?
Below is a summary of pro production from Buckeye tight ends of seasons past in search of the benchmark.
| TIGHT END | RD/PK | YEAR | YEARS | GAMES | GS | REC | REC YDS | YDS/REC | REC TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. DUDLEY | 1 (9) | 1996 | 9 | 108 | 87 | 221 | 3,024 | 13.7 | 33 |
The gold standard for former Buckeye tight ends in the pros is currently Henderson, Texas product Rickey Dudley.
The second-leading receiver on Ohio State's 1995 offensive juggernaut with 37 grabs for 575 yards, Dudley was selected by the Oakland Raiders with the ninth pick of the 1996 Draft and started 78 of his 80 games for the silver and black. His best pro season came during year two in Oaktown as he amassed 48 receptions for 787 yards and seven touchdowns.
Following one year in Cleveland, Dudley's final three seasons came with Tampa Bay where he won a Super Bowl ring in spot duty before a thumb injury effectively ended his career.
Dudley's 3,024 professional receiving yards are nearly double his closest former Buckeye competitor while his 221 receptions are good for a 140-catch edge.
His NFL success is all the more impressive when you recall he arrived at Ohio State on a basketball scholarship. Dudley didn't catch pass for John Cooper's football Buckeyes until his junior season when he had nine for 106 yards setting up his stellar senior campaign.
| TIGHT END | RD/PK | YEAR | YEARS | GAMES | GS | REC | REC YDS | YDS/REC | REC TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. SHAW | 10 (97) | 1944 | 4 | 38 | 28 | 81 | 1,569 | 19.4 | 20 |
An unknown to many Buckeye fans thanks to his playing days dating back to the 1940's, Bob Shaw holds down second place on this list from a statistical perspective though his impact on football overall makes him worthy of the top spot.
The only former Buckeye tight end on this list to make the Pro Bowl, Shaw did so on the strength of a monster 1950 campaign – his last as a player – as he tallied 48 receptions for 971 yards and a league-best 12 touchdowns for the Chicago Cardinals.
Shaw was a big play machine ranking in the top four in yards per catch in both 1949 (18.4 ypc) and 1950 (20.2) while becoming the first player in league history to record five touchdown receptions in a single game.
Following his playing days, Shaw was a coach in the collegiate, NFL and CFL ranks from 1957-1987 with his final season coming at Otterbein College.
| TIGHT END | RD/PK | YEAR | YEARS | GAMES | GS | REC | REC YDS | YDS/REC | REC TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| J. BALLARD | N/A | 2010 | 4 | 23 | 16 | 45 | 679 | 15.1 | 6 |
| J. FRANK | 2 (56) | 1984 | 5 | 66 | 23 | 65 | 662 | 10.2 | 10 |
Springboro, Ohio product Jake Ballard heads the next grouping despite being an undrafted player signed by the New York Giants following the 2010 Draft.
After appearing in just one game as a rookie, Ballard started 13 games in 2011 collecting 38 catches for 604 yards with four touchdowns as an integral pat of the Giants' run to the Super Bowl XLVI title.
Though Ballard earned a ring, he tore his ACL during the victory and the injury reduced him to just eight more professional games, all with the Arizona Cardinals, before he elected to retire following the 2013 season at the age of 26.
A childhood favorite of mine, next up is John Frank. The 56th pick of the 1984 Draft, Frank joined the San Francisco 49ers during their heydey, picking up a Super Bowl ring during his rookie season as a reserve performer and another in his final season as a starter, even picking up a key reception on Joe Montana's historic 11-play, 92-yard touchdown drive to clinch the victory.
Frank would retire in the offseason despite his success so he could devote his attention to medical school and his now a hair restoration surgeon with offices in New York and Ohio.
| TIGHT END | RD/PK | YEAR | YEARS | GAMES | GS | REC | REC YDS | YDS/REC | REC TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| B. HARTSOCK | 3 (68) | 2004 | 10 | 131 | 49 | 31 | 312 | 10.1 | 1 |
| J. WHITE | 2 (29) | 1971 | 2 | 27 | 27 | 25 | 278 | 11.1 | 2 |
| C. SOUDERS | 25 (259) | 1945 | 3 | 35 | 15 | 17 | 203 | 11.9 | 1 |
| D. BRUBAKER | 15 (170) | 1955 | 3 | 22 | ? | 13 | 200 | 15.4 | 1 |
| S. BUSICH | N/A | 1936 | 3 | 22 | 8 | 19 | 193 | 10.2 | 1 |
| J. STONEBURNER | N/A | 2013 | 2 | 20 | 1 | 5 | 47 | 9.4 | 2 |
| G. DAVIS | N/A | 1960 | 2 | 12 | 0 | 10 | 132 | 13.2 | 0 |
| S. FOX | N/A | 1945 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 10 | 120 | 12.0 | 2 |
| D. SANDERS | 4 (122) | 2002 | 3 | 28 | 15 | 18 | 118 | 6.6 | 2 |
| F. PAGAC | N/A | 1974 | 2 | 28 | 16 | 8 | 94 | 11.8 | 0 |
| E. ROWAN | N/A | 1930 | 3 | 15 | 10 | 3 | 52 | 17.3 | 0 |
| D. MCCAFFERTY | 13 (116) | 1943 | 1 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 38 | 12.7 | 1 |
The best of the rest is headed up by Ben Hartsock following a 10-year career as a blocking tight end for five teams. His best season came in 2007 with nine starts for the Tennessee Titans producing 13 receptions for 138 yards.
A 2nd round selection in 1971, Jan White was a starting tight end for two years with the Buffalo Bills on the way to 238 career receiving yards.
A three-time All-American for the Buckeyes, Cecil Souders wasn't selected until the 25th round of the 1945 Draft but still managed to last three years in the pros, all with the Detriot Lions.
Sam Busich was a three-year letterwinner for Ohio State's basketball team before a modest three-year pro football career highlighted by ranking eighth in the league with 13 receptions in 1937.
Darnell Sanders is a name the younger generation of Buckeye fans are no doubt familiar with and the Warrensville Heights product appeared in 28 games over a three-year career including two seasons with the Cleveland Browns in which he tallied 15 starts yielding 18 grabs for 118 yards and two touchdowns.
Fred Pagac logged just two NFL seasons as a player and started 13 games for the 1974 Chicago Bears before embarking on an impressive, and still unfolding, coaching career. After holding various coaching positions on Ohio State's staff from 1978-2000, Pagac moved on to the NFL serving as an assistant with Oakland, Kansas City, Minnesota and Buffalo before joining the Denver Broncos ahead of their march to the Super Bowl 50 title.
Don McCafferty rounds out this grouping and while his playing career was unforgettable, like Pagac, he carved out a memorable coaching resume. After 11 years as an assistant at Kent State, McCafferty held various posts with the Baltimore Colts before taking over as head coach in 1970. He won the Super Bowl in 1971 but was fired the following season when he refused owner's orders to bench Johnny Unitas.
Along with Vannett, Buckeye fans will also want to keep an eye on whether or not Jeff Heuerman and Jake Stoneburner can carve out lengthy pro careers. Vannett was a 3rd round selection last season but injury kept him out of action during his rookie year. Stoneburner, an undrafted free agent who signed with Green Bay in 2013, has appeared in 20 games, starting one, over two seasons of action totaling five receptions for 47 yards.
In case you missed our previous looks at other positions, we've already covered running backs, receivers, defensive backs, defensive linemen and linebackers.
