Jack Velling came to Michigan State from Oregon State with NFL aspirations and elite production to back it up. In two seasons in East Lansing, he put up decent numbers, but it never was quite good enough to earn a draft selection in 2026.
Velling decided to come back for one more season last offseason and everyone was jumping for joy because they assumed the “disappointing” 2024 performance was an outlier. His numbers only dipped a bit in 2025, but he received way more criticism than he really deserved and it was due to Brian Lindgren’s apparent inability to get everyone on the same page.
The talented tight end never reached his ceiling at Michigan State, and that should have been enough to intrigue NFL teams throughout the draft process. Velling had some “disappointing” seasons in East Lansing and still managed to catch 72 passes for 770 yards and four touchdowns in two years.
The Atlanta Falcons were apparently intrigued enough and they signed him to an undrafted free agent deal where he’s going to be battling for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Velling has a chance to become the second straight undrafted free agent to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster after former Michigan State running back Nate Carter signed a deal to back up Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. With Allgeier gone, his window to compete for carries has opened up even more, but he’ll be battling with Brian Robinson and Tyler Goodson for snaps.
However, we’re not talking about snaps right now. We’re talking about making the 53-man roster, and I think Velling faces a much tougher situation than the one Carter faced a year ago.
Jack Velling is facing a major uphill battle
We’ve reviewed the potential roster situation for several Spartan rookies in the NFL and we’ve seen guys like Quindarius Dunnigan buried on the Jaguars’ defensive line depth chart and Omari Kelly having an opportunity to crack the two-deep as soon as August.
Velling’s situation is more like Dunnigan’s than Kelly’s — and that’s OK.
Velling is going to face an uphill battle to make the Falcons’ 53-man roster, but his former Michigan State teammate is proof that it can happen. Atlanta will obviously be starting Kyle Pitts, as expected, but behind him are a couple of veteran tight ends behind him like Austin Hooper and Charlie Woerner. Both have come over via free agency and they’re expected to be TE2 and TE3, respectively.
That wouldn’t exactly leave room for Velling and I think he’ll need to start his career on the Falcons’ practice squad and work his way up to the active roster late in the year.
Hooper isn’t what he used to be, but he’s still a veteran tight end who will eat up backup snaps. Woerner is another veteran option, but he’s more of a blocker first, catching just 26 career passes over six years. That’s another way Velling can crack the three-deep and potentially beat out Woerner for a spot: by blocking.
We all know Velling can catch passes and create mismatches for linebackers in the passing game, but until he can prove that he’s a willing blocker, he’s going to remain on the practice squad.
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