NORFOLK, Va. – The pass from Kevin Decker was high, but not out of reach for Zack Kuntz, a 6-foot-7 tight end who leaped, snagged the ball while turning his body and landed inbounds in the S.B. Ballard Stadium end zone.
It's the kind of catch that has NFL scouts drooling about Kuntz and his potential to be an every-day player. Decker, ODU's offensive coordinator, and a standout quarterback at New Hampshire, pumped his fist when Kuntz came down with the ball.
The 35 NFL scouts and assistant coaches who attended ODU's Pro Day dutifully took notes and whispered to each other. Kuntz's former ODU teammates hooped and hollered.
They'll likely be hollering again next month when Kuntz and teammate Nick Saldiveri are almost certain to be selected in the NFL draft.
Kutz is a transfer from Penn State and a Camp Hill, Pennsylvania native who played parts of two seasons for ODU. He was second in the nation among tight ends with 73 pass receptions and was named first team All-Conference USA in 2021, when the Monarchs went to the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Injured during the fifth game of the 2022 season, Kuntz missed the rest of the season, and a chance to participate in the Senior Bowl, but was healthy enough to participate in the NFL Combine, where he put up eye-popping numbers.
He ran a 4.55 in the 40-yard dash and had a 40-inch vertical leap and a 10-foot-8 broad jump. And he scored a perfect 10 in the Relative Athletic Score, which grades a players' measurements and compares them to his peers – it was the highest score for a tight end in decades.
While many rating services have him going in the third or fourth round of the NFL draft, thedraftnetwork.com predicted "Kuntz could be drafted as high as the second round."
Former Monarch defensive end Oshane Ximines was a third-round pick in 2019, the highest draft pick ever for an ODU player.
For Kuntz, one of five siblings who grew up in a modest home, the offseason has been a thrill ride. A former state champion in track and all-state basketball player, everyone in his family was an athlete, including his parents.
The simple joy of transitioning from college football player to a guy auditioning for NFL coaches is something he doesn't take for granted.
"The entire process, it's just been great," he said. "All of us have been coming out to watch Pro Day each year, so it's something I've always dreamt about doing.
B.R. Hatcher hopes to sign a free agent contract with an NFL team.
"You know, it's finally my turn, so I've been excited to take the process on with a full head of steam."
Offensive lineman Nick Saldiveri, a 6-foot-6, 318-pound Waxhaw, North Carolina native, was the other main attraction at ODU's Pro Day.
Saldiveri competed in the Senior Bowl, where he drew rave reviews from NFL coaches and scouts, and also did well in the Combine. Sports Illustrated rates him as a likely sixth-round pick.
Saldiveri also grew up in modest circumstances and is as grateful as Kuntz about the road ahead.
"It's a very long process, so I've been taking it one day at a time," he said. "It's been fun," he added with a smile.
Saldiveri said there's a lot to do between now and the NFL draft, set for April 27th through April 29th.
He'll be traveling for individual workouts for perhaps half a dozen NFL teams and interviews with dozens more, and the interview process can take an odd turn.
In one interview he was asked how many ways can you use a brick. Kuntz said he was asked if he walked into a fast-food restaurant and saw napkins on a table, would he use them or throw them away?
He said he'd used them to clean off the table. The NFL official interviewing him laughed.
"The interviews are way more about football than anything else," Saldiveri said. "They want to see how you learn. They want to see what you know about the game, if you've mastered your college offense.
"And they're trying to get to know you as a person."
Eleven others also participated on Pro Day.
B.R. Hatcher, a long snapper from Jefferson, South Carolina, had a flawless record in four seasons at ODU. Every extra point, field goal and punt snap he made in 35 games – he missed most of 2022 with an injury – was on target. At 6-5, 240 pounds, his size is a bonus.
Hatcher was again flawless on his snaps on Friday.
"I've been talking to my agent and he said there are a couple of teams that are interested," Hatcher said. "They were just waiting, for the most part, to see the numbers that come out of this."
Offensive tackle Tyran Hunt, a 6-7, 318-pound offensive lineman, impressed with his size and speed. Tight end Donta Anthony, whose role increased when Kuntz went down with an injury, had some nice catches. He has been training under former ODU wide receiver Larry Pinkard in Northern Virginia.
Other participants included linebackers Steven Williams and Ryan Henry, defensive end Marcus Haynes, safety R'Tarriun Johnson, cornerbacks Tre Hawkins III and Tobias Harris, defensive tackle Tyre Bibby and placekicker Dominik Soos. Darius Hagans, a Virginia State running back from Chesapeake, also participated.
Soos wasn't ODU's starting placekicker, yet drilled field goals from 58 and 60 yards with room to spare, drawing an ovation from spectators , something that rarely occurs at a Pro Day. Soos handled ODU's kickoff duty and by the end of the season was consistently putting the ball in the end zone.
But Soos doesn't even have an agent.
"I had nothing to lose by coming out here today," he said.
Indeed, he didn't. After just about everyone else had left the stadium, an NFL scout pulled Soos aside and did a quick interview with him.
Hatcher said he's prepared to emulate former ODU long snapper Rick Lovato, who like Hatcher, started four years and was flawless. Lovato kept trying out and being cut by team after team for nearly two years. Between stint in NFL camps, he made sandwiches at the family's New Jersey deli and worked out several hours every day.
He later signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and has played in two Super Bowls.
"I mean, it's all in God's timing," Hatcher said. "I'm blessed just to have this opportunity, just everything that's happened for me so far to this point.
"If it takes time, I'm just going to keep my head down and keep working."
Contact Minium at hminium@odu.edu or follow him on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram
ODU Football Players Strutted Their Stuff for 35 NFL Scouts and Coaches at Pro Day
