Michigan State's Jack Velling Among PFF's Highest-Graded Returning Big Ten TEs

Pro Football Focus has Michigan State tight end Jack Velling at a 77.2 overall offensive grade.

Michigan State's Jack Velling participate in a drill during the Spring Showcase on Saturday, April 20, 2024, at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA

New Michigan State tight end Jack Velling was one of the Spartans' top additions of this offseason.

Velling, who enters his third collegiate season, followed Michigan State coach Jonathan Smith over from Oregon State back in December.

Pro Football Focus has Velling among its highest-graded returning Big Ten tight ends with an overall offensive grade of 77.2. He trails only Michigan's Colston Loveland and Illinois' Cole Rusk. Behind Velling are UCLA's Moliki Matavao, USC's Lake McRee, Penn State's Tyler Warren, Purdue's Max Klare, Iowa's Addison Ostrenga, Oregon's Patrick Herbert and UCLA's Hudson Habermehl.

Highest Graded Returning Big Ten Tight Ends🔥 pic.twitter.com/IHApniYnQp

— PFF College (@PFF_College) May 26, 2024

Velling comes off a career season in what was his final year with the Beavers, recording 438 yards and eight touchdowns on 29 receptions in 12 games. Velling would be named to the 2023 All-Pac-12 Second Team.

Back in February, PFF's Max Chadwick ranked Velling eighth among returning tight ends in all of college football.

"Velling is following head coach Jonathan Smith from Oregon State to Michigan State," Chadwick wrote. "No tight end in college football found paydirt more than he did this past season, tying for the national lead with eight receiving touchdowns. Velling was also eighth among Power Five tight ends with 13 catches that went for 15-plus yards in 2023. He and Loveland are the only rising true juniors in the top 10, so the best could be yet to come for the two tight ends in the Great Lakes State."

Velling not only has the familiarity of being coached under Coach Smith, but he he is with his former Oregon State tight ends coach Brian Wozniak.

"It's great," Wozniak said in a media availability session last month. "I think in coaching, everyone has a different approach but the connection with players is always important. Having a deep enough rooted connection for him to be interested in coming out here and being away from home is awesome. Trust in his parents, trust in him for moving to Michigan, that's awesome. At the same time, I gave him the same tone, we're coming out here to work, get better and improve. Not only individually but as a team. That's the kind of guy who buys in and makes it easier for me."

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