Zack Kuntz, TE Old Dominion: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Kuntz was a four-star recruit from Camp Hill High School in Camp Hill, Pa. in the class of 2018

Old Dominion tight end Zack Kuntz lit up the NFL Combine and is one of the most athletic players in the 2023 NFL Draft. He won’t go in the top 100 selections, but the former Penn State recruit offers intriguing Day 3 developmental upside.

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Zack Kuntz, TE Old Dominion: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt junior tight end from Camp Hill, Pa.

Background: Kuntz was a four-star recruit from Camp Hill High School in Camp Hill, Pa. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 150 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 122 for Rivals, and No. 128 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 283rd in the nation with an 81 grade out of 100. He transferred from Penn State to Old Dominion ahead of the 2021 season. In high school, Kuntz lettered four times in football and was a team captain as a senior. He led Camp Hill to back-to-back Division 3 Class A Championships in 2014 and 2015. Kuntz earned USA Today First-Team All-USA Pennsylvania Football Team honors in 2017. He also made the Pennsylvania Football Writers All-State Class 2A First-Team as a senior. Kuntz earned All-Mid Penn Capital League honors every year, including First-Team selections on offense and defense in 2017. That year, he amassed 40 receptions for 1,060 yards and nine touchdowns. As a sophomore, he tallied 49 receptions for 793 yards and 11 touchdowns. Kuntz produced 47 receptions for 658 yards and seven touchdowns as a freshman. He lettered in basketball and track & field three times. Kuntz won the State Class AA Championship in the 110-meter hurdles as a senior and claimed district titles in the 110-meter hurdles and 300-meter hurdles three times apiece. Kuntz also won district titles in the high jump, the 4x100 relay, and the 4x400 relay as a sophomore and junior. His father, Francis Kuntz, played football at the University of Maryland. His sister, Anna Kuntz, played basketball for West Chester University. He was born on June 6, 1999. Kuntz volunteered his time at the Little Lions Football Camp and Basketball Rising Stars Camp.

Injuries & Off-Field: Dealt with a wrist injury as a high school senior, missed some time in 2020 with an unspecified injury, required season-ending surgery for an unspecified injury that cost him seven games in 2022

Awards: 2019, 2020 Academic All-Big Ten, 2021 First-Team All-Conference USA

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units, experience playing in the slot, out wide, H-back, and in-line, tested off the charts, excellent height and arm length, room on his frame to add mass, varies route tempo, throws head and shoulder fakes and executes double moves, some suddenness in his routes and cuts, stutter hop at the top of his stem to freeze defender, speed stresses linebackers and safeties vertically, makes catches above the rim, downfield ball tracking, makes catches outside his frame, catch radius, willing blocker

Cons: Age, injury history, one season of production, five drops in the past two seasons, limited time spent playing in-line tight end, lean build, inconsistent sink in his hips, could show more urgency on some routes, not many examples of winning against press, limited YAC potential outside of his speed, doesn’t break tackles with power, not shifty or elusive in space, blocking fundamentals are developmental at best, not an instinctive or aggressive blocker, often just gets in the way of defenders as a blocker but doesn’t look to engage and sustain, ducks his head or shoulder into blocks

Overview: Kuntz took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6065 and weighs 255 lbs. He has 10 2/8-inch hands, 34-inch arms, and an 83 1/8-inch wingspan. Kuntz looks like a power forward in pads. Kuntz is highly experienced on special teams with nearly 290 snaps across his career divided between the kick return, punt return, punt coverage, and field goal units. He has experience playing in the slot, out wide, H-back, and in-line. The redshirt junior tested off the charts at the NFL Combine. He has excellent height and arm length with a lean frame that has room to add significant mass. He varies his route tempo, throws head and shoulder fakes, and executes double moves to uncover at all levels of the field. There’s some suddenness in his routes and cuts, and he uses a stutter hop at the top of his stem to freeze defenders. Kuntz doesn’t play with elite speed, but he’s fast enough to stress linebackers and safeties vertically. He makes catches above the rim and outside his frame with good ball tracking. His massive catch radius makes him an ideal red zone target. Kuntz is a willing blocker, but his blocking fundamentals are developmental at best. He often just gets in the way of defenders as a blocker but doesn’t look to engage and sustain. The Penn State transfer ducks his head or shoulder into blocks instead of extending his long arms to lock up the defender. Kuntz is an older prospect with an injury history and just one season of impressive production. He’s not immune to drops. The Pennsylvania native only spent limited time spent playing in-line and H-back during his college career and won’t be ready to take heavy snaps at those roles as a rookie. Kuntz doesn’t have many examples on tape of winning against press coverage. He could show more urgency on some routes and focus more on sinking his hips. He doesn’t break tackles with power and isn’t shifty or elusive in space, which limits his upside after the catch.

Overall, Kuntz’s athletic traits and size make him an intriguing slot-dominant option who could develop into a well-rounded player by the end of his rookie contract. He will primarily contribute on special teams as a rookie as he fills out his frame and develops his blocking technique.

Role & Scheme Fit: Slot/F tight end with massive developmental potential

Round Projection: Late Fourth to Early Fifth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 03-31-23