Tanner Koziol TE Houston |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #9 ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 03/13/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.70 seconds (70%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #9 | |
| ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | |
| Last Updated: 03/13/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.70 seconds (70%*) | |
| Bowl Invite: Senior Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 82.1 / 100 | |
|---|---|---|
| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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80% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| QB Rating When targeted: | 110.1 | |
| Hands: |
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88% |
| Short Receiving: |
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89% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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92% |
| Deep Threat: |
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86% |
| Blocking: |
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55% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
5th
Overall Rank:
#164
Position rank:
#13 (TE)
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| College Games: 49 College Snaps: 2498 | ||
ESPN RATING: 69/100
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247 RATING: 72/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.4 (89%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Jared Wiley - TCU |
|
90% |
| Charlie Kolar - Iowa State |
|
76% |
| Mitchell Evans - Notre Dame |
|
75% |
Drafted: ROUND: 5 - Pick Number: 164 (JAX)
Draft Profile: Bio
Tanner Koziol arrived at Ball State out of Bloomingdale, Illinois as a two-star recruit who attended three different high schools before settling at Mt. Vernon, where he broke the school's single-season touchdown record as a senior wide receiver. He caught seven touchdowns as a true freshman in 2022, tying for the fifth-most among FBS tight ends that season. His sophomore year was quieter with 34 catches for 290 yards, but his junior campaign saw production explode to 94 receptions for 839 yards and eight scores, leading Ball State in catches and becoming the first Cardinal tight end to do so since 1989.That breakout junior season earned first-team Group of 5 All-American honors and drew transfer interest from Wisconsin, where Koziol initially committed before ultimately landing at Houston for his senior year. With the Cougars in the Big 12, he posted 74 receptions for 727 yards and six touchdowns, leading all FBS tight ends in catches and earning a Mackey Award semifinalist nod, Biletnikoff Watch List placement, and Pro Football Network All-America first-team recognition. He finished his career with 237 receptions, 2,236 yards, and 24 touchdowns across 49 games.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- Outstanding length and catch radius at 6'6" that consistently wins above the rim in contested situations.
- Soft, natural hands that gather the ball cleanly away from his body on both short and deep targets.
- Receives with strong focus through contact, hauling in a high rate of contested throws over his career.
- Tested with excellent lower-body explosiveness at the Combine, and it shows on tape in his ability to high-point throws.
- Ran a full route tree at Houston, lining up in-line, in the slot, and split wide across formations.
- Dependable target underneath with good feel for finding soft spots against zone coverage on intermediate routes.
- Head fakes and subtle body movements at the top of routes create just enough hesitation from defenders.
- Durable over four seasons, logging nearly 2,500 offensive snaps and catching a pass in 27 straight games.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- Lacks short-area quickness and burst to separate cleanly from athletic defenders at the break point.
- Route tempo is too uniform, making it easy for physical corners and safeties to pattern his releases.
- Run blocking is a clear weakness, with poor leverage and limited anchor strength at the point of attack.
- Too easy to reroute off the line with a forceful jam, disrupting his timing within the route.
- Weighed in well below the tight end average at the Combine, and the lack of mass shows in his anchor.
- Average play speed limits his ability to stack defenders vertically or create separation on deep routes.
Scouting Report: Summary
Koziol's Combine told you exactly what he is. The vertical and broad jump were among the best marks for tight ends in this class, confirming the lower-body pop you see when he goes up and takes the ball over smaller defenders. But 247 pounds is light for a college tight end, let alone a pro one, and it showed every time he was asked to anchor or sustain in the run game. The testing drew a clear line: this is a pass catcher, full stop. Trying to develop him into an in-line Y would be fighting the player he actually is.Where Koziol makes sense is as a big slot who works the intermediate window and the red zone. A 6'6" target with soft hands and that kind of catch radius does not need to run a 4.4 to be useful between the numbers. He caught the ball against Big 12 athletes the same way he caught it in the MAC, and his contested-catch rate held firm when the competition jumped. The jump testing suggests he can threaten the seam more than his sometimes-plodding college tape lets on. If a coordinator gets him moving pre-snap and schemes him into favorable leverage, there are real matchup problems to exploit. But he has to be put in those spots, because he will not win on his own against tight man coverage.
The ceiling is a TE2 who earns a defined pass-game role in the right offense. The floor is a camp body who cannot block well enough to justify a roster spot. Koziol needs a staff that sees the receiving upside and is willing to protect him from his limitations schematically.
Tanner Koziol percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Tanner Koziol (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
194.5
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
17.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank
in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance.
For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.
*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.