Cal TE Jake Tonges Declares for 2022 NFL Draft

He had entered the transfer portal last month, but now wants to turn pro

Cal tight end Jake Tonges announced last month that he was entering the transfer portal, but he has changed directions and announced Thursday on social media that he is entering the 2022 NFL draft.

Tonges becomes the third Cal player who has said he will enter the NFL draft with college eligibility remaining. Quarterback Chase Garbers and linebacker Kuony Deng previously announced they are turning pro despite the option to play another season of college ball.

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Betting on myself! Thank you to everyone who has helped me along the way! pic.twitter.com/d3uLO1IxEl

— Jake Tonges (@JakeTonges) January 7, 2022

In his twitter message announcing his decision to enter the NFL draft, Tonges said, "Betting on myself!"

It's unclear why Tonges changed his mind about his immediate future.  It's possible he did not get an offer from another school that he wanted to transfer to, or he could have received information suggesting pro teams might be interested in drafting him.

Whether he will be drafted in the 2022 NFL draft is uncertain. 

ESPN's Todd McShay ranks 23 tight ends among his top 323 prospects for the 2022 NFL draft and Tonges is not among them. Five of the tight ends he lists are from the Pac-12.

CBS Sports lists eight tight ends among its top 100 draft prospects, and Tonges is not one of them.

WalterCamp.com lists its top 18 tight end NFL prospects, and Tonges is not among them, either.

Tonges' announcement that he is entering the NFL draft could lead draft analysts to pay more attention to him, but it is likely that he may need to impress NFL scouts during workouts to get drafted.

Tonges was one of three tight ends who got considerable playing time for Cal in 2021, but Tonges was generally considered the best receiver of the group.

He was fifth on the team in receptions and fourth in receiving yards in 2021, when he had 22 catches for 278 yards and two touchdowns.

In 2020, in four games, he was fourth in the team in both receptions (12) and receiving yards (80) and had one touchdown catch.

Tonges had 13 receptions for 262 yards and touchdown in 2019.

He made 23 starts while at Cal, including 11 starts this past season, three in 2020 and nine in 2019.

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Cover photo of Jake Tonges by Chris Pietsch, The Register-Guard, USA TODAY NETWORK

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Follow Jake Curtis of Cal Sports Report on Twitter: @jakecurtis53

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