The 2026 NFL Draft continues today and the other Syracuse player with a chance of being selected this weekend is Dan Villari.
Villari’s college journey has been a lengthy one, starting at Michigan with intentions of being a quarterback at the collegiate level, then moving to upstate New York, where he found a home with the Orange for the next four years. But during that time, Villari began to develop, and in a year where Syracuse did not have many positives on the football field in 2025, Villari was
one of them and opened himself up to an opportunity to play at the next level
Villari Draft Position:
Villari has been ranked by The Athletic as the 31st best tight end entering his name into the 2026 NFL Draft and is projected to be a priority free agent for some teams after all the selections are made on Saturday, according to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. Zierlein also sees Villari as much more of a pass-catching tight end at the next level and not used as a blocking one.
Teams Villari has met with:
For Villari, many of his meetings came during his participation in both the Senior Bowl and the Hula Bowl in late January. During that experience, it was noted that Villari actually had the opportunity to sit down and talk with representatives from up to 17 different NFL teams. Some of those teams included…
- The Green Bay Packers
- The Los Angeles Chargers
- The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- The New England Patriots
- The Cleveland Browns
- The San Francisco 49ers
- The Minnesota Vikings
Another team that has been linked to Villari recently has been the Atlanta Falcons, according to Clint Goss, who writes for the team, and said they were at Syracuse’s Pro Day and were impressed with what Villari had to offer.
Where would you like to see Villari end up after the Draft this weekend?
