The Seattle Seahawks continue to make roster moves with training camp less than two months away. Seattle is taking a chance on an unconventional playmaker who will be battling to make the final 53-man roster.
The Seahawks announced that the franchise signed undrafted tight end Mitch Van Vooren, who played collegiately at St. Norbert College. To make room for Van Vooren on the roster, Seattle released wide receiver Nate McCollum, another undrafted rookie.
The tight end brings with him quite an impressive resume as a former three-sport athlete from Peshtigo, Wis., playing football, basketball and participating in track and field. Seattle provided a brief bio on Van Vooren after announcing the roster moves.
“Van Vooren, who is from Peshtigo, Wisconsin, was a three-sport athlete in high school, lettering in track and field, football and basketball before heading to Marquette to run track,” Seahawks.com’s John Boyle wrote in a June 4, 2025, story titled, “Seahawks Sign TE Mitch Van Vooren.” “During an All-Big East track career, Van Vooren set a school record in the 400-meter hurdles, but he eventually decided to return to football, transferring to St. Norbert for two seasons.
“Van Vooren, who is 6-foot-5, 242 pounds, was a first-team All-NACC selection last season, recording 33 receptions for 510 yards and 10 touchdowns in 11 games. The previous year, he had 32 receptions for 535 yards and three touchdowns to earn All-NACC honorable mention honors.”
New Seahawks TE Mitch Van Vooren: ‘I Think I Have a Really High Ceiling’
The Seahawks have plenty of depth at tight end headlined by Noah Fant with A.J. Barner is coming off an impressive rookie season. Seattle doubled down on the position this offseason by using a second-round pick on former Miami Hurricanes playmaker Elijah Arroyo.
All this could make it an uphill battle for Van Vooren to make the final roster. The good news for Van Vooren is that his unique background as a track athlete could give him an edge against some of the other rookies fighting for a roster spot.
Van Vooren also offers the Seahawks solid size at 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds. During a March 24, interview with SB Nation’s Jacob Infante, Van Vooren explained what an NFL team is getting with his skillset.
“I think I have a really high ceiling,” Van Vooren noted. “Right now, I believe my abilities and my skill set is as good, if not better than the competition, in terms of what everyone else is doing. But I also think that I’ve only played two years of (college) football, so I still have a lot of building, a lot of learning I can do.
“I think my ceiling of my athletic ability is really high. I can come in, I can help on special teams, or be like a practice squad player, get some good minutes right off the bat. At the same time, I have a really high ceiling, so I can grow into being a high-level player at the next level.”
Mike Macdonald on Potential Seahawks QB Controversy: ‘It’s Just a Crazy Question’
As for who will be throwing the ball to the tight ends, head coach Mike Macdonald is making it clear that Sam Darnold is the team’s quarterback. Macdonald called it a “crazy question” to ask if there is a chance Darnold could lose the starting job.
“No, you guys are crazy,” Macdonald noted during a June 3, interview with Seattle Sports’ “Brock & Salk.” “Like, I respect you gotta ask it, but like… it’s just a crazy question.
“Sam’s our starting quarterback. We love him, he’s doing a tremendous job.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Seahawks Land Former 3-Sport 6-Foot-5 Playmaker Amid Roster Moves appeared first on Heavy Sports.