From now until the 2025 NFL Draft, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top-10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents. Today, a scouting report on Bowling Green TE Harold Fannin Jr.
No. 0 Harold Fannin Jr./TE Bowling Green – 6031, 238 pounds (Junior)
MEASUREMENTS
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Harold Fannin Jr. | 6031/238 | 9 3/8 | 33 1/4 | 78 3/4 |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A | N/A |
The Good
– Major production the last two years having over 2,100 yards and 16 TDs
– Able to work at all levels of the field at a high level and can stretch the field if needed
– Good hands catcher, which allows him to pull in tough catches
– Understands body leverage, which allows him to easily make defenders miss with the ball in his hands
– Plays with good speed and effort
– Great athleticism gives him a higher ceiling
– Looks comfortable catching passes over the middle of the field
The Bad
– Very undersized with the 16th-percentile weight and the 26th-percentile height
– Struggles creating separation against man coverage
– Played in the MAC, which will make for a noticeable jump to the NFL
– Will look lost as a blocker occasionally
– Can look stiff causing more to be desired after the catch at times
Bio
– 20 years old (July 20, 2004)
– 36 games played for Bowling Green from 2022-24
– 213 touches, 2,555 scrimmage yards, 22 touchdowns, and 13.3 yards per catch in his college career
– 126 touches, 1,620 scrimmage yards, 11 touchdowns, and 13.3 yards per catch in 2024
– Had an injury in 2024; missed two games in 2023 and missed one game in 2022 all due to undisclosed injuries
– Zero-star LB in his 2022 high school class from Canton, Ohio
– Had 106 tackles, two interceptions, six forced fumbles and two defensive touchdowns his senior year of high school while on offense had 36 catches for 601 yards and six touchdowns
– Is one of only eight Bowling Green players to have appeared in the Senior Bowl
– First consensus All-American in Bowling Green history
– Holds numerous school records that include most receiving yards by a tight end in a season (1,555), most receptions by a tight end in a season (117), most receiving yards by a tight end per game (119.6) and more
Tape Breakdown
Harold Fannin shows flashes of jaw-dropping yards-after-the-catch ability that energize you by just watching him play. These two clips show his sublime YAC ability perfectly. The first clip is a deep ball caught over his shoulder where, after the catch, he makes the Texas A&M safety miss twice by causing him to flip his hips multiple times. This keeps the defender out of position and questioning Fannin’s next move. That is when he can turn on the burners and simply outrun the defense to the end zone to make it a three-point game.
The next play is a simple out route where the only thing stopping Fannin from a first down is a 195-pound defensive back. Fannin sees this as a mismatch, which it is, and lowers his shoulder to fight for the extra yard he needed.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 9, 2025
Continuing with Fannin’s after-the-catch ability, it allows an offensive coordinator to open up the playbook. Here you can see Bowling Green come out with a successful tight end screen on 2nd and long. Even though one of the linemen gets out late to his assignment and is slightly obstructing Fannin from catching the ball, Fannin still brings it in and makes multiple defenders miss with a side-step. After the successful juke, he powers his way for a first down and more.
While this play is impressive and successful in its own right, I think one of the most notable parts is that Bowling Green lined Fannin up in the backfield as a running back. The Falcons loved using Fannin as a Swiss Army knife in how they used him and subsequently how they lined him up.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 9, 2025
Adding to the multiple ways Bowling Green used Fannin, he would line up in the Wildcat as a quarterback. While he may not be a passing threat in this formation, having only completed one pass in his college career for nine yards, he definitely adds an element as a rusher. In Fannin’s college career, he had 33 carries for 159 yards and five scores. Once again intriguing NFL offensive coordinators in different ways they can use Fannin at the next level.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 9, 2025
Bowling Green did not line up Fannin a lot in-line in 2024. Instead, the Falcons’ in-line tight end would often be Levi Gazarek (No. 10), who is 6-5 and listed at 250 pounds. This makes sense for schematic purposes.
However, when they did line Fannin up in-line, they would find ways to make sure he was involved, and it usually resulted in a successful play. This play is a fake jet sweep that results in shovel pass to Fannin, who has a pulling guard in front of him. Fannin is able to take advantage of the misdirection and hurdle a Toledo defender into the end zone. While a lot of this play is good design, Fannin’s execution is perfect. This kind of play is run a lot, with success, by Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs for a reason.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 9, 2025
The most common way you’ll see Fannin used in college is typically as a power slot. He uses his speed and route-running knowledge to consistently create a solid amount of separation at the top of his stem. In this example, he cuts down the space between himself and the defender before cutting inside to flip the defender’s hips before crossing face back outside. Fannin then has to track the ball, which is placed in an awkward spot over his right shoulder as he’s looking left. This play speaks to who Fannin is as a route runner and a ball tracker and what he can bring to the next level.
— Steven (@Elspedd) February 9, 2025
Conclusion
Harold Fannin Jr. was essentially Bowling Green’s version of Tyler Warren from Penn State. The way both of them were used should intrigue teams at the next level. Fannin has lined up legitimately everywhere. He was a quarterback, running back, wide receiver and finally tight end. He excelled at all of those positions mainly due to his yards after the catch ability. Though, at times, his hips can look stiff causing defenders with good discipline to not get shaken off by his juke attempts. Fannin generally has a good sense of defenders’ body leverage and knows how to use that to his advantage.
Just like after the catch, Fannin knows how to use defenders’ leverage against them as a route runner. He constantly has elite separation at the top of his route due to this and it appears nobody is covering him. This is why Bowling Green felt so comfortable using him as a power slot against shorter and more agile defensive backs.
My player comparison for Fannin is Chig Okonkwo. They both had the same height and weight coming out of college and I could see Fannin finishing with a similar relative athletic score (RAS) to what Okonkwo had back in 2022. Okonkwo finished with a RAS score that landed in the 64th percentile with speed and explosion being his best attributes. His RAS score was ultimately brought down by his size measurables that were labeled as “very poor” and his agility grade, which came back as just “okay.” Based on Fannin’s film, I feel this is very on par with who he is as a player as well. The only conspicuous difference is the contrast in their college production with Fannin having the far better numbers.
Fannin for sure has a spot in the NFL due to his athleticism and how football savvy he is. The issue that is hard to overlook is his size. Landing in the 16th percentile for weight and the 26th percentile for height, he has a lot to overcome if he wants to be a consistent starter as an in-line guy. He shows promise as a blocker getting a good pop more often than not, but with bigger and stronger defenders at the next level it will be hard for Fannin to continue that at his size. I think Fannin’s best bet is going to a team with a solidified in-line guy Fannin can complement.
Projection: Mid-Day 2 pick
Depot Draft Grade: 8.0 – 3rd round (Potential Starter/Good Backup)
Games Watched: Toledo (2024), Penn State (2024), Texas A&M (2024), Old Dominion (2024)
