Jaren
Kanak.
Jaren
Kanak.
Oklahoma· 6'2"· 234 lb· 4.52s 40
R7 · #225 · Tennessee Titans"An undersized move tight end in the Nick Vannett mold: the special teams value is real from day one, and the offensive role stays situational until the blocking strength matches the athletic testing."Pre-draft read
Kanak plays tight end like a linebacker: downhill, physical, and comfortable in contact. He aligns as the Y in an RPO spread, doing most damage on intermediate levels. His change of direction and short-area quickness separate him from heavier tight ends. He finds space against zone, sits in windows, and turns upfield immediately after the catch with the pad level and contact balance of a defender.
The hands are functional, not plus, and his catch radius is limited by short arms (30.5 inches). As a blocker, the effort and leverage are present, but the anchor is not. At 234 pounds, he can wall off a defensive back or smaller edge rusher, but struggles to sustain against length. The route tree is narrow, the release package against press is unrefined, and he never scored a touchdown.
Spread RPO teams that scheme up spacing and love to generate matchups against linebackers and safeties in the passing game.
Immediate special teams ace who can grow into a flex tight end role, creating mismatches and running seam routes. His ceiling is a significant offensive contributor as a Year 2 or 3 player.
A pro-style offense that relies on traditional inline tight ends and demands consistent contested catch ability. This would suppress his receiving upside and accentuate his blocking limitations.
Kanak's unique athleticism and defensive background make him an intriguing developmental weapon for an innovative offense, provided he can be shielded from traditional blocking assignments early on.
Jaren Kanak - Oklahoma | 2025 Highlights
Full senior-season reel from his first year at tight end, with the intermediate wins and run-after-catch that defined the conversion.
Jaren Kanak - Oklahoma Sooners 2025 Highlights
Second cut of the 2025 tape, useful for his zone spacing and his blocking effort on the move.
Jaren Kanak | Tight End | Oklahoma | 2026 NFL Draft Target
Pre-draft breakdown of his profile as an undersized move tight end and special teams piece.
Kanak is a converted linebacker project at tight end, offering a team an athletic special teams contributor who also brings upside as a pass-catcher in specific situations. His 4.52 forty-yard dash time at the Combine suggests the athleticism to develop into a move tight end, emphasizing quickness and contact balance over traditional in-line mass and receiving acumen.
He transitioned to tight end in his senior year, playing all 13 games and logging 44 receptions for 533 yards, earning third-team All-SEC honors. This came after three seasons as a defensive player at Oklahoma, where he was also a core special teams player and captain, even scoring a return touchdown in 2024. His offensive production in 2025, in his first season on that side of the ball, underlines his athletic potential and adaptability.
The primary concerns revolved around his limited experience at the position and lack of true in-line blocking strength against larger defenders. While his athleticism was evident, evaluators questioned his refined route running and ability to consistently win contested catches against NFL coverage without a scheme advantage. He was a developmental pick for the Tennessee Titans in the seventh round (225th overall), projected as an H-back and special teams asset.
- 01
Immediate conversion production
forty-four catches for 533 yards and third-team All-SEC in his first season at the position.
- 02
Testing profile
a 4.52 forty with a 1.61 ten-yard split and a 36-inch vertical at the 2026 Combine.
- 03
Special teams pedigree
four years as a core coverage player and captain, ready to contribute in week one.
- 04
Linebacker toughness
plays through contact and finishes runs after the catch with defensive temperament.
- 05
Move-tight-end flexibility
wing, H-back and slot alignments, with movement skills to be schemed into space.
- 01
One year of experience
the entire offensive evaluation rests on thirteen games played at the position.
- 02
Undersized for in-line work
lacks the mass and length to sustain against NFL edge setters on base downs.
- 03
Route detail
stems and breaks are still unrefined against man coverage, stemming from minimal offensive experience.
- 04
Contested-catch consistency
his hands are functional but demonstrate inconsistency when a defender is draped on him.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.52sp50
- Vertical
- 36inp50
- Broad jump
- 119inp50
- Three-cone
- 7.21sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.27sp50
- Bench
- 24repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Oklahoma | 13 | 44 | 533 | 0 |
| Career | — | 13 | 44 | 533 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
- John MateerQB24%
- Michael Hawkins Jr.QB14%
- Isaiah SategnaWR12%
#4 of 18 tracked contributors · Produced in line with his snap share · Offense explosiveness 1.24 (p51) · CFBD — usage x PPA per tracked player
Honors
- Third-team All-SEC (coaches) at tight end, 2025
- Started all 13 games and finished third on a 10-2 Oklahoma team in receiving in his first season on offense
- Special teams touchdown in 2024
- Kansas high school record-setter: 1,615 rushing yards as a senior at Hays, with 10.37 hundred-meter track speed
A roster-filling third tight end who lives on special teams and takes a handful of offensive snaps a game.
A move tight end who carves out a long career through blocking effort, special teams and situational offensive snaps.
A converted athlete whose offensive game never develops, leaving him a practice squad H-back.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
Tennessee drafted a one-year tight end, and that is both the risk and the point. Kanak spent four seasons at Oklahoma as a linebacker and a special teams captain before Ben Arbuckle moved him to offense, and the conversion produced forty-four catches and third-team All-SEC recognition in the only year he has ever played the position.
The Titans get a 4.52 athlete who already knows how to cover kicks, plus an offensive projection that is entirely upside: the routes are unrefined, the in-line blocking is a projection, and the frame has to add functional strength before he is a base-down option.
Realistic outcome: a TE3 who holds a roster spot for years on four special teams units and takes ten to fifteen offensive snaps a game in move alignments. The high end is a Tommy Tremble-style long career built on effort blocking and situational usage; the floor is a practice squad H-back whose offensive game never separates from the tryout tape.