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Ohio State TE Nick Vannett will be proving he can catch too for the Seahawks

The tight end is looking forward to contributing at the next level.

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

Despite a limited number of receptions at Ohio State, tight end Nick Vannett was able to show enough talent in the time since his final snap of collegiate ball to hear his name called by the Seahawks with the No. 94 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft. His blocking ability, along with his performances at the Senior Bowl, NFL Combine and Ohio State's pro day, were enough to jettison the under-the-radar tight end up to the third round.

Analysts didn't start paying attention to the tight end until the week of senior bowl practices, where he was then given the moniker of "Baby Gronk", a nickname he's since proudly embraced, although admitting, "I'm not as crazy as him, though".

The 6'6, 257-pound tight end chose not to run the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but impressed with other drills like the 3 cone drill (7.05 sec) and 20-yard shuttle run (4.20 sec). He finally ended up running the 40 in front of scouts from all 32 NFL teams at Ohio State pro day, where he ran a 4.85.

His workouts at all three pre-draft events landed Vannett among the top tight ends in the 2016 class. He will need to be more agressive as a blocker in the League, but has the talent and athleticism to do so. As his role in the Seattle's offense becomes clearer, he may need to work on his route-running and his running technique after the catch, but could see a lot of snaps due to his versatility.

Get to know Nick: