Oregon State’s Jack Colletto is arguably the most interesting man of the 2023 NFL draft.
“That’s one way of putting it,” Colletto said.
Colletto is a man of many positions who is likely to stimulate the imagination of NFL coaches and coordinators. Colletto can play fullback, H-back, tight end, Wildcat quarterback, special teams savant, linebacker.
Colletto is 239 pounds, so offensive line appears out.
“If they want to beef me up and feed me a bunch of food, then maybe,” Colletto said.
In the lead-up to the draft April 27-29, mock drafts give Colletto a puncher’s chance on the third day, mostly because of his versatility. Colletto is of interest among Denver’s fanbase because of coach Sean Payton, who once developed Taysom Hill into a change-of-pace quarterback while at New Orleans.
Colletto, who has visited the Broncos and New York Jets and has upcoming stops at Seattle and Kansas City, said he’s talked with “12 to 15 teams.” The winner of the 2022 Paul Hornung Award, given to the nation’s most versatile college football player, has some limits to his appeal.
“Some teams have kind of that creative offensive mindset, like, let’s see what we can do with him or where can we put him,” Colletto said. “Then there’s some offensive minds that are just, this is what we do, and they don’t tend to use people like me.”
As for where Colletto ends up, his guess is as good as yours. Colletto isn’t writing off teams that haven’t talked to him, because it could be a smokescreen. He’s not looking for a local house from teams that have shown significant interest, as it might just be their way of analyzing players.
“I just focus on what I can control and what I can do and take it day by day,” Colletto said.
Colletto is nearly four months into his NFL job hunt, which started with daily training south of San Jose with about a dozen prospects. Colletto participated in a college all-star game, and did his pro day at OSU in March. He’s currently living and training in Corvallis with three weeks left before the draft.
Colletto says he won’t be part of a party during the draft. It’ll be a quiet weekend, hanging out at his father’s house in Poulsbo, Washington, watching the draft on television while anxiously awaiting information from his agent, Steve Caric.
As someone picked near the tail end of the draft, there’s a long-standing thought that it’s sometimes better to go undrafted and sign as a free agent. It gives the player some options regarding the right situation. Colletto sees positives in both situations.
“All I’m asking for is an opportunity,” he said. “I definitely believe I’ll get an opportunity to get my foot in the door.”
Now for some honesty.
“Going undrafted will probably piss me off a little more, which I guess you can use as motivation to play better,” Colletto said.
Colletto is grateful for the five years at Oregon State that allowed him to show a wide range of skills. Colletto signed in 2018 as a quarterback, but finished his career at linebacker. Colletto’s primary value came on special teams, where he participated on all four units, and short yardage Wildcat quarterback.
When playing quarterback didn’t work out, Colletto said he briefly thought of going elsewhere.
“But I didn’t want to leave the program. I wanted to stay with Coach (Jonathan) Smith because they recruited me and believed in me,” he said. “The decision I made to stay here gave me the best chance to play at the next level. I wouldn’t be where I’m at with Coach Smith and that coaching staff.”
There is no Plan B for Colletto. It’s not that he’s dismissing life after football. Colletto knows he’ll have to put away the pads and cleats someday.
“In a business this competitive, you have to allocate all your time and energy into pursuing the NFL to give yourself the best chance … to be successful and have longevity in this league,” Colletto said.
Plan B eventually could include coaching or putting his engineering degree to work.
“I believe I’ll be able to figure it out when that time comes,” he said.
— Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel
