The New England Patriots’ tight end group remains a work in progress, even with team captain Hunter Henry a quality player firmly entrenched atop the depth chart. Behind him and third-round draft pick Eli Raridon, however, there are serious questions about the depth — especially after Julian Hill was lost for the year with injury.
In order to increase their chances of finding viable answers, the Patriots brought in a pair of depth pieces before training camp. One, Jeremiah Franklin, we already looked
at in our Patriots scouting report series. Now, it’s time for the other.
Hard facts
Name: Mitch Van Vooren
Position: Tight end
Jersey number: 46
Opening day age: 25 (1/13/2001)
Measurements: 6’4 1/2”, 255 lbs, 8 3/8” hand size, 33 1/8” arm length, 81” wingspan, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Experience
NFL: Seattle Seahawks (2025), Cleveland Browns (2025), New England Patriots (2026-) | College: Marquette (2019-22), St. Norbert (2023-24)
Van Mooren lettered in football, track and basketball at Peshtigo, WI, High School and went on to join Marquette as a hurdler. He spent four seasons with the Golden Eagles, setting a school record in the 400-meter hurdles and being voted to the All-Big East Outdoor team (2022). He then moved to St. Norbert College as a graduate student, and promptly earned first-team All American honors (2023).
During his first year at the school, he also revived his football career. He caught 32 passes for 535 yards and three touchdowns in his first season, followed by a 33-catch, 510-yard, 10-touchdown season during a 2024 season that saw him focus exclusively on football. He was named first-ream All-NACC in 2024 and was an honorable-mention in 2023.
Despite his success in Division III, Van Vooren was not drafted in 2025. Via stints in Seattle and Cleveland, he found his way to New England during the 2026 offseason. He has yet to appear in a non-preseason NFL game.
Scouting report
Strengths: Van Vooren combines decent size with a mouth-watering athletic skillset. He has the straight-line speed to get behind defenders down the seam or on go routes down the sideline, and the build let alone the leaping ability — he is a former hurdler, after all — to be competitive in jump-ball and contested-catch situations. Aiding him in that regard is his length; his long arms allow him to make catches out side his natural frame. He also has shown a good feel for tempo and good concentration on back-shoulder throws.
In addition, Van Vooren also is alignment-flexible and offers ability to move around the formation both as a receiver and a blocker. In general, he is a feisty blocker who plays with active hands at the point of attack.
Weaknesses: Even though he has the athleticism needed to compete at the NFL level, Van Vooren is as a whole still very raw. That is not a surprise given that his only significant football experience since high school has come in the form of 22 games against Division III opposition. His route running lacks nuance, his route tree is underdeveloped, and he has not yet shown the technical repeatability to shake free from man coverage; he won mostly through superior athleticism in college — something he can not count on against the pros.
2025 review
Stats: N/A
Season recap: Van Vooren did not hear his name called in the 2025 NFL Draft, and also was not treated as a hot commodity during rookie free agency. He did get an invitation to the Browns’ rookie minicamp but ended up not receiving a contract offer. It took until early June before he signed his first pro deal, joining the Seahawks on a stint that ultimately was short-lived: he was released again after just nine days.
Van Vooren remained unsigned into training camp, and until the Browns came knocking again. Cleveland signed him this time around, and kept him on its roster until late August. In between, he appeared in three preseason games and played 13 offensive snaps plus seven more on special teams without registering any statistics.
Following his release from the Browns, Van Vooren was not picked up by another NFL team and spent the 2025 season as a free agent.
2026 preview
Position: F-tight end | Ability: Camp body/Practice squad candidate | Contract: Signed through 2026 (2027 ERFA)
What will be his role? Van Vooren’s athleticism was his best attribute in college, and he was used accordingly at St. Norbert. The Patriots will likely also try to make use of it this summer, potentially employing him as a rotational flex tight end capable of filling multiple spots in the lineup.
What is his growth potential? Bringing only limited football experience to New England, Van Vooren remains a raw player even at age 25 who has yet to perform up to his athletic abilities in the NFL. Will he ever do so? That’s the big question, but with some more time in a pro-level program he could find himself competing for a role as a backup inline/H-back-type player.
Does he have positional versatility? Theoretically, yes, even though it remains to be seen just how much the Patriots will actually lean into it in 2026. He has, however, had reps as an in-line blocker, slot receiver, split out wide and a backfield option. In addition, the Brown used him on their kickoff return, punt return and punt coverage units during last year’s preseason.
What is his salary cap situation? Van Vooren signed a one-year minimum deal to join the Patriots. It consists entirely of a non-guaranteed $885,000 base salary that a) simultaneously functions as his cap number, and b) does not qualify him for Top 51 status.
How safe is his roster spot? Even though he has some skill, Van Vooren’s outlook appears to be quite bleak. Not only is he an underdeveloped player, he also joined the team a few days before training camp. While the Patriots do have an opening behind Hunter Henry and Eli Raridon, other tight ends on the team’s roster are in better position to fill it.
Summary: For Van Vooren, training camp will not primarily be about pushing for a roster spot but for proving himself worthy of further development on the practice squad. If he can show some promise in practice and preseason, he could have a shot. If not, he will remain a camp body.
What do you think about Mitch Van Vooren heading into the 2026 season? Will he make it out of camp? Or will his Patriots tenure be over quickly? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
