NFL Draft Vanderbilt Player Profile: Jared Pinkney

The NFL Draft is here with the opening round beginning in just a few hours, and here's a preview of Vanderbilt tight end Jared Pinkney as he awaits his shot in professional football.

Jared Pinkney has been one of the most discussed and reviewed players in the 2020 NFL Draft class. 

The former Commodore was considered a sure-fire first-round selection had he entered the 2019 draft, but in choosing to return to Vanderbilt for his senior season, things have turned for the Norcross, Georgia native.   

A disastrous 2019 season on the field by his Commodore team and the lack of production for him individually coupled with poor showings at the Senior Bowl and NFL COmbine has pushed Pinkney into the latter rounds of most projections. 

However, in the last week, there has been speculation that the tight end could be making his way back up teams draft boards thanks to video interviews he participated in with some teams. 

One thing is certain of the NFL Draft, not much is certain and it only takes one team who might value an individual player enough to pull the trigger on selecting him well before most pundits have him projected. 

While the workout numbers from Indy aren't pretty for Pinkney, the talent that had him at the top just one year ago are still there, and hopefully, during training, the player and his trainers have figured out the answers to get him back to the form he displayed as a junior at Vanderbilt.  

In all the uncertainty of what team and round Pinkney will be selected, he will get his chance to prove himself at the next level. 

There are 32 teams in the NFL, and predicting with any amount of certainty where a player will be taken is a crapshoot, but then that's half the fun of mock drafts and projections like this.

To that end, we enlisted the help of up and coming draft and player evaluation expert, Justin Melo (@JustinM_NFL) of USA Today's Draft Wire & SB Nation's Music City Miracles. Melo personally interviewed 141 prospects this year, including 10-20 players he expects could be first-round picks.  

What did Melo have to say of Pinkney?

Jared Pinkney, TE, Vanderbilt

"Pinkney is a height, weight, and length prospect at the tight end position if I've ever seen one. Pinkney came in at the combine at 6-foot-4 and a whopping 257 pounds. He plays to every bit of his size on tape as well. Pinkney didn't test particularly well at the combine, but his sneaky athleticism shines on tape. He did his best work up the seam, where his elusiveness and athleticism were best put to use. His size also makes him a terrific weapon in the red zone, where his ball skills and length gives him a chance to thrive in jump-ball situations."

Best Fit: San Francisco 49ers

The San Francisco 49ers make sense as a potential landing spot for Pinkney. Pinkney has the skills to play an H-back role at the next level and should be moved around the offense to best take advantage of match-up opportunities. There may not be a head coach in the league that's better at identifying these opportunities than Kyle Shanahan. The 49ers should be on the hunt for a back-up tight end in this draft, one that could come in and play a versatile role while backing up George Kittle. Pinkney fits the bill.

Regardless of the team, Pinkney's dream will be coming true soon, and we couldn't be happier for him and all the rest. 

Other Draft Preveiws: Ke'Shawn Vaughn 

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