Veteran NFL scout speaks highly of new Michigan State football TE Jack Velling
I think at this point in the offseason we’re all well aware of how good the Michigan State football transfer portal class is. The headliner of the class is of course quarterback Aidan Chiles, but there are countless other new Spartans who will make a big impact on the team this year.
One of those players is tight end Jack Velling, another transfer who followed Jonathan Smith from Oregon State.
Velling has had an elite college career already. Last season alone he led the FBS in tight end receiving touchdowns with eight.
Velling has two years of eligibility remaining, but I’d be surprised if he didn’t go to the NFL next year. And 18-year veteran NFL scout Jim Nagy agrees.
No FBS staff got more out of their roster last year than Jonathan Smith's crew at Oregon State and getting TE Jack Velling (6050e, 246e) to come with them from Corvallis to East Lansing was their biggest offseason addition.
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) July 4, 2024
Velling made 18 starts over past two years for Beavers… pic.twitter.com/rpliTwusb3
The above post is quite lengthy, but Nagy does an excellent job at breaking down the couple things he likes about Velling’s game while also discussing areas he can improve on.
Nagy said, “Jack Velling runs well enough to be a threat down the seam (see UCLA tape) and OC Brian Lindgren smartly schemed up plenty of red-zone targets for him.”
Now I don’t know about you, but that’s something Michigan State has been missing from a tight end for quite some time. A guy who can get vertical and make a big play while still being effective in short yardage and red zone packages.
Nagy did discuss one major area of improvement Velling needs to work on, and that’s blocking. Nagy shared, “Velling must continue to improve as a blocker this fall for NFL scouts to project him as a starter but he certainly has enough talent to roster as a backup in the league.“
So even though Velling has some spots to work on, it sounds like Nagy already thinks he’s good enough to be an NFL player. MSU hasn’t had many NFL-caliber players on their team recently, and it’s important to be successful if you don’t. But it sounds like Smith is changing that quickly.
I have a feeling Velling is going to become a fan favorite once the season rolls around. And we more than likely will get to see a lot of touchdowns thrown his way from Chiles as well.