2026 NFL Draft Preview: Dan Villari

TL;DR

Dan Villari, a tight end from Syracuse, is a potential pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. His college career began at Michigan before he transferred to Syracuse, where he excelled despite a challenging season in 2025.

Key points

Dan Villari is a tight end from Syracuse.
He started his college career at Michigan.
Villari had a notable season in 2025 despite team struggles.

Mentioned in this story

University of Michigan

Dan VillariSyracuse Orange

Oct 18, 2025; Syracuse, New York, USA; Syracuse Orange tight end Dan Villari (89) catches the ball between Pittsburgh Panthers linebacker Cameron Lindsey (24) and linebacker Braylan Lovelace (0) during the second half at the JMA Wireless Dome. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-Imagn Images | Rich Barnes-Imagn Images

The 2026 NFL Draft continues today and the other Syracuse player with a chance of being selected this weekend is Dan Villari.

Villari’s college journey has been a lengthy one, starting at Michigan with intentions of being a quarterback at the collegiate level, then moving to upstate New York, where he found a home with the Orange for the next four years. But during that time, Villari began to develop, and in a year where Syracuse did not have many positives on the football field in 2025, Villari was one of them and opened himself up to an opportunity to play at the next level

Villari Draft Position:

Villari has been ranked by The Athletic as the 31st best tight end entering his name into the 2026 NFL Draft and is projected to be a priority free agent for some teams after all the selections are made on Saturday, according to NFL analyst Lance Zierlein. Zierlein also sees Villari as much more of a pass-catching tight end at the next level and not used as a blocking one.

Teams Villari has met with:

For Villari, many of his meetings came during his participation in both the Senior Bowl and the Hula Bowl in late January. During that experience, it was noted that Villari actually had the opportunity to sit down and talk with representatives from up to 17 different NFL teams. Some of those teams included…