Jaren Kanak TE Oklahoma |
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report
| Jersey: #12 ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Updated: 01/19/2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Draft Year: 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| FORTY time: 4.52 seconds (96%*) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Age: 22.6 DOB: 02/10/2004 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowl Invite: Shrine Bowl | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Jersey: #12 | |
| ROLE: Slot Receiving TE | |
| Last Updated: 01/19/2026 | |
| Draft Year: 2026 | |
| Forty time: 4.52 seconds (96%*) | |
| Age: 22.6 DOB: 02/10/2004 | |
| Bowl Invite: Shrine Bowl | |
| Overall Rating: | 80.0 / 100 | |
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| Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced | ||
| Defense Rating: |
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83% |
| Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects. | ||
| Hands: |
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86% |
| Short Receiving: |
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80% |
| Intermediate Routes: |
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77% |
| Deep Threat: |
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84% |
| Blocking: |
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52% |
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DRAFT PROJECTION:
7th
Overall Rank:
#232
Position rank:
#18 (TE)
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| College Games: 13 College Snaps: 572 | ||
ESPN RATING: 83/100
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247 RATING: 94/100
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RIVALS RATING: 5.8 (95%)
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| Player Comparison* (Similarity level) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Chigoziem Okonkwo - Maryland |
|
78% |
| Jaheim Bell - Florida State |
|
70% |
| Brant Kuithe - Utah |
|
68% |
Drafted: ROUND: 7 - Pick Number: 225 (TEN)
Draft Profile: Bio
Jaren Kanak was born in Hays, Kansas, where he became a school legend at Hays High School. Standing 6'2" and weighing 233 pounds, Kanak was the consensus top recruit in Kansas and ranked among the nation's elite athletes in the 2022 class. He earned four-star ratings across all major recruiting services, including an 83 from ESPN and a 0.94 grade from 247Sports. What made his recruitment fascinating was the position ambiguity. College coaches couldn't decide if he belonged on offense or defense because he dominated both sides of the ball. As a senior quarterback/linebacker, he rushed for a school-record 1,615 yards at 10.2 yards per carry with 23 touchdowns while also throwing for 910 yards and 12 scores. Defensively, he was just as disruptive. He ultimately chose Oklahoma over Alabama, Clemson, and Michigan.The athletic testing numbers from his high school track career tell you everything about his physical gifts. At just over 200 pounds, Kanak ran a 10.37 in the 100 meters, which ranked as the sixth-fastest time in Kansas state history. He also posted a 22.06 in the 200 meters and 51.90 in the 400. This wasn't some skinny track kid either. Kanak arrived at Oklahoma as a linebacker and spent three seasons learning the position from scratch under Brent Venables. He played in all 39 games from 2022 through 2024, starting nine times as a sophomore in 2023 when he tallied 62 tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks. But with Danny Stutsman, Kip Lewis, and Kobie McKinzie ahead of him on the depth chart, meaningful snaps became harder to find.
Rather than enter the transfer portal like so many players in similar situations, Kanak approached the coaching staff with an unconventional request before his senior season: let me play tight end. The gamble paid off in spectacular fashion. In 2025, Kanak started all 13 games at tight end and finished as Oklahoma's third-leading receiver with 44 catches for 533 yards. Early in the season, he led all FBS tight ends in receiving yards despite the position switch happening just months earlier. His production helped Oklahoma make a surprise run to the College Football Playoff. The John Mackey Award voters took notice, placing him among the nation's best at the position. Named to the SEC Fall Academic Honor Roll, Kanak finished his career with 106 tackles on defense and 44 receptions on offense.
Scouting Report: Strengths
- That 4.4 speed is real, and it shows up on tape. Linebackers have no prayer staying with him down the seam, and safeties have to cheat their coverage.
- Zero drops on 44 catches tells you all you need to know about his hands. Ball sticks to him in traffic and he wins contested situations consistently.
- Three years reading offenses as a linebacker gave him an innate feel for zone coverage. He finds the soft spots like a veteran, not a one-year tight end.
- Tracks the deep ball beautifully. Adjusts on the move, high-points throws, and pulls in passes over his shoulder without losing speed. Easy mover for his size.
- You can line him up anywhere. Inline, slot, wing, H-back. Defensive coordinators hate game-planning for guys who move around this much pre-snap.
- The kid flat-out works. Coaches say he watches more film than anyone on the roster, and you see it in how fast he picked up the position.
- Runs angry after the catch. That linebacker mentality didn't disappear when he switched sides. He'll lower his shoulder and punish tacklers in the open field.
- Gets off the line quick when defenders don't jam him. That track explosion translates to easy separation on vertical stems against off coverage.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
- At 6'2", he's not really a tight end. He's a big slot receiver they're calling a tight end. That height kills him at the catch point against NFL safeties and limits his red zone ceiling.
- The blocking is rough. He gets washed out of plays, can't sustain on the edge, and needs significant work before you can trust him in the run game.
- One year at tight end means a limited route tree. He wins with speed and instincts right now, not with polished technique on intermediate concepts.
- Zero touchdowns on 44 catches jumps off the page. Whether that's usage or an inability to finish in traffic near the goal line, it's worth watching.
- His frame probably maxes out around 240 pounds before he starts losing the speed that makes him special. There's no path to a traditional tight end body here.
Scouting Report: Summary
Here's the deal with Kanak: he's not a tight end in the traditional sense, and NFL teams need to stop evaluating him like one. At 6'2", he's really a big slot receiver with tight end eligibility, and that's exactly how teams should use him. The blocking concerns are legitimate and will keep him off the field in 12-personnel power running situations. But the league is moving toward specialized roles, and Kanak fits that mold as a moveable piece who creates matchup problems out of various alignments. Line him up inline sparingly and let him work from the slot and wing where his speed actually matters.The receiving skills translate at the next level. You don't post zero drops and an outstanding contested catch rate without having legitimate ball skills. His feel for zone coverage comes from spending three years reading offenses as a linebacker, which gives him an inherent understanding of spacing that most tight end converts don't possess. The 4.4 speed opens up the entire vertical passing game, and the lack of touchdowns in 2025 feels more like a sample size issue than a red zone concern. Oklahoma's offense ran through other playmakers near the goal line, but NFL teams will use a weapon like Kanak differently. His willingness to work through coverage and run angry after the catch shows some real dog in him.
The realistic projection here is a joker type who contributes immediately on third downs and in uptempo packages while carving out a niche role. He'll need a creative coaching staff willing to deploy him as a chess piece rather than asking him to be a traditional Y tight end, because he'll never be that. Teams running spread concepts or heavy motion schemes will get the most out of his skill set. The fullback/H-back comparisons have some merit given his physicality, but his real value is as a flex piece who can threaten vertically and work the intermediate zones. The ceiling depends entirely on scheme fit, but the athletic tools and receiving instincts give him a real shot to stick on a roster and contribute in a defined role.
Jaren Kanak percentiles vs other Tight Ends (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)
How other scouting services rate Jaren Kanak (Overall Rank)
All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
281.8
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
26.0
*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.