Bears Projected to Select Pitt TE Gavin Bartholomew

A Pitt Panthers tight end was projected as a late-round NFL Draft pick recently.

Kevin Sinclair | Mar 20, 2025

Sep 21, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers tight end Gavin Bartholomew (86) runs after a catch against the Youngstown State Penguins during the third quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images / Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

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Pittsburgh Panthers

Could Pitt Panthers tight end Gavin Bartholomew head to the Windy City?

That’s what the NFL Draft Network suggested in a recent mock draft published by Justin Melo on Tuesday, March 18.

Melo pegged the 6-foot-5, 246-pound tight end selected with the 233rd pick in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. It was a projected draft class led by Georgia edge rusher Mykel Williams at the top with the 10th pick in the first round.

Bartholomew arrived at Pitt in 2021 out of New Jersey, making an impact as a true freshman. He put together 27 catches for 317 yards and four touchdowns that year.

The former three-star prospect logged 21 catches for 283 yards and two scores a year later as a true sophomore. Missing two games as a junior in 2023, Bartholomew recorded 18 catches for 326 yards and one touchdown.

In year three, Bartholomew finished with his best per-catch average of his college career - over 18 yards per snag.

He wrapped up his college career with the most receptions of his four years in Pittsburgh, finishing with 38 catches for 322 yards and four touchdowns. All told, Bartholomew recorded 105 receptions for 1,257 yards and 11 scores over the 50 games he competed in.

Across NFL Mock Drafts in recent weeks, it seems Pittsburgh Panthers fans should expect to see Batholomew and teammate Konata Mumpfield in the mix for Day Three selections if they don’t slide into undrafted territory.

Mumpfield finished his college career with 217 catches for 2,691 yards and 19 touchdowns over 49 games across his stints at Akron (2021) and Pittsburgh (2022-2024).

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Published Mar 20, 2025

KEVIN SINCLAIR

Kevin Sinclair writes coverage of the Pitt Panthers along with the Baltimore Ravens, the New England Patriots, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Tennessee Titans for On SI. Previously, he was a recruiting reporter and managing editor at Irish Illustrated, the privately-owned Notre Dame site within the 247Sports Network, for over seven-and-a-half years. Kevin studied multimedia journalism and has been a sports writer for nearly a decade.