The Path to the Draft
Mar 27, 2024 | Football, Sports Extra
By: D. Scott Fritchen
The distance from Irvine, California, to Waterloo, Iowa, is 1,791 miles, but it seemed like a small world away, as Ben Sinnott flew from sunny to snow, and kicked caked slush from the soles of his shoes before walking inside the familiar home with familiar smells and the familiar TV that would help occupy his days as he watched the snow build up outside. Few things in life, Sinnott knew, were better than being home.
The question becomes this: Why was Sinnott in Irvine? That, for the past couple months, had been his new home. It was called Excel Sports Management, to be exact, nestled in Lakeview Business Park on Barranca Parkway, and another sizable jaunt from the football field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where Sinnott starred at Kansas State as one of the top tight ends in college football.
The days of playing SEMO, Troy or UCF had long since concluded, replaced by hours of drill techniques and position-specific instruction, as Sinnott joined eight other NFL Draft prospects — five players from Washington, one from Texas, one from Notre Dame, and one from Utah — in a daily regimen between 7 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and under the guidance of former NFL greats-turned-instructors Joe Staley, Dennis Pitta and Ricky Proehl.
A morning run was followed by a session of physical therapy to work on bruises from the past season, and then Sinnott had an afternoon lift following lunch. Then he found his way to the recovery center for a couple hours — the sauna, the NormaTec, the hot tub, the cold tub, and the simple foam roller. Three times a week Sinnott spent part of his workout enhancing his 40-yard dash, working on different starts, working on the back half of the run, working on the first 20 yards, then 30, and finally the full 40.
The work began shortly after he first arrived in Irvine on New Year's Day.
This was his gateway to 2024 NFL Combine stardom on March 1.
"I think I really surprised some people with the numbers I put up," Sinnott said. "It's definitely a weird feeling knowing you were out there doing it and that you've stamped your name in history."
Sinnott had 49 catches for 676 yards (13.8 average) and six touchdowns as the top pass catcher for the Wildcats in 2023. He showed himself to be a tight end/fullback hybrid who could line up in-line, in the slot, in stacked alignments, and at halfback in the backfield while playing in a myriad of different alignments. The 2023 John Mackey Award semifinalist and Third Team All-American is called "one of the most well-rounded at tight end in recent memory," by Pro Football Network.
"KANSAS STATE TIGHT END BEN SINNOTT HAS CHECKED ALL THE BOXES TO BE AN EARLY DRAFT PICK," the headline on AZ Sports beamed.
An abundance of headlines and favorable reviews quickly emerged March 1 after Sinnott's athleticism lit Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on fire. NFL.com put it this way: "Sinnott came in a bit heavier (6-foot-3, 7/8, 250 pounds) than his listed weight at Kansas State (245) but still posted explosive jumps (40-inch vertical, 10-foot-6 broad) and a solid 4.68-second 40-yard dash to confirm the athleticism he showed at Kansas State. He also led all tight ends with a 6.82-second three-cone drill. His on-field work in drills was excellent, too. Sinnott's knack for snaring throws on the move was on full display, as was his ability to make tight cuts around cones. Don't be surprised if he's picked in the early-to-middle second round."
There is something called the NFL Combine Relative Athletic Score. Sinnott scored an unofficial 9.75 out of a possible 10.00 — a figure that ranked 29th out of 1,116 tight ends from 1987 to 2024. He led all tight ends in the 2024 class in vertical jump, broad jump, and his 6.82-second three-cone drill was the ninth fastest of any participant, regardless of position, at the 2024 NFL Combine.
Currently, he is projected to be a second- or third-round draft pick by most experts. Player Profiler wrote that Sinnott "improved his stock drastically" and "is now in the conversation as the second tight end to go off the board."
"We were like, 'It's crazy that we're here and crazy that we're doing this,'" Sinnott said. "You grow up watching the combine and seeing all your favorite players go through it. To be out there on the field stretching and getting warm to do this thing was a surreal experience and something I'll never forget."
That was the start of Sinnott's big day.
"You never know how you're going to do throughout training, and you don't have thousands of people looking at you while you're sitting up for your 40 and don't have that adrenaline rush," he said. "It's definitely still setting in how well I did. I'm hoping that holds weight and impacts the draft because I think I really surprised some people."
The drill work ended with the three-cone drill. And Sinnott's time of 6.82 seconds impressed himself the most, how he had the ninth-best time among all combine participants. His legs were dead after maxing out on five events and performing pass-catching drills, "so by the end of it, I didn't even know if I was going to do the agility drills," he said.
"To put up that good of a number when you're legs are dead, I was super happy with that time, and it's super translatable to the league, being able to change directions that quickly and get in and out of breaks. That's definitely something I wanted to show.
"I have the capabilities to fit into any scheme, any offense, and being able to play so many different positions, and the way K-State used me and trusted me with those responsibilities, it says a lot about the kind of player I am and the kind of football IQ that I bring. It only helps me. There aren't a lot of guys in this draft class, and I don't think there are any that truly have the versatility that I have when it comes to being flexed out as the No. 1 receiver or kicking a defensive end out on power. I don't think anyone brings that kind of versatility."
NFL scouts took note this past college football season. While some scouts saw Sinnott perform at K-State, scouts and other team personnel asked Sinnott for a few moments of his time in the week leading to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, on February 3. Sinnott spoke with all 32 NFL teams — some of them twice or three times. At the NFL Combine, Sinnott received five formal interviews with the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals.
"My first meeting was with (Lions head coach) Dan Campbell, one of the most intimidating guys, right off the bat," Sinnott said. "It was cool just to be in the same room with those guys and show them the kind of person I am and my football IQ. It was awesome just getting to talk football."
Although Sinnott enjoys the positive reviews from his performances on and off the field, he knows there's much more to go. His journey has yet to begin. That'll come when the 2024 NFL Draft gets underway April 25-27.
"Where I go for the draft means little to me from a career standpoint," he said. "It's one day. It takes you to the team where you're going to go, but there's so much to prove and so many things to be done. Where you go in the draft doesn't necessarily matter in the long run.
"You see undrafted free agents be hall-of-famers and you see first-round players get cut that second year."
There was a time when playing football at the FBS level seemed like a long shot. Sinnott played six sports — hockey, football, baseball, track, golf and tennis. Sinnott had tough decisions to make, as he was the star hockey player, the No. 2-ranked first baseman in Iowa — he batted left and threw right — and emerged as the all-state tight end, wide receiver and defensive end at Columbus Catholic High School. Sinnott went to a summer football camp at South Dakota and left with a scholarship offer. But Tom, Ben's father, had an old high school classmate named Chris Klieman, who was setting up shop at K-State. Tom and Chris had known each other since they were 10, falling out of touch when Klieman went to play safety at Northern Iowa and Tom went to Iowa State.
Klieman, who won four FCS championships at North Dakota State, brought offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham, also a Waterloo native, to Manhattan prior to the 2019 season. And, well, Sinnott got his big chance to walk-on at K-State.
"Walking into K-State at about 205 pounds as a walk-on, and first time walking around the facility, and nobody knows your name or your position, it's really tough," Sinnott said. "First time away from home, first time away from your friends, it's a huge learning experience and you have to mature and know what you need to do to get on the field."
Once Sinnott found a home as a prominent pass-catching threat, he was a highlight waiting to happen. One of his best games was a seven-catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 31-3 win over Baylor on November 12, 2022. His seven receptions were the most by a K-State tight end since 2006 and his two touchdowns marked the first multi-touchdown performance by a K-State tight end since 1996.
One week earlier, Sinnott made ESPN's SportsCenter when he jumped over a defender: "BEN SINNOTT WITH THE HURDLE!" they said on TV. Prior to that, Sinnott caught a pass at No. 6 Oklahoma — "AND HE'S DRAGGING BASCIALLY HALF THE OKLAHOMA DEFENSE INTO SOONER TERRITORY!" they said on TV.
Soon, he'll have a chance to make highlights for an NFL squad.
"I'm a guy that's resilient and who's never going to take no for an answer," he said. "I wasn't given very many opportunities coming out of high school, and I wanted to bet on myself and compete against the best. That's the mindset I'm going to continue to bring. I have that chip on my shoulder, and it just keeps growing with any doubts people might have about what I can do. It's my goal to continue to prove people wrong. I want to make every team that doesn't draft me regret that decision."
The doubters seem to have quieted, and they might quiet even more when Sinnott competes this week at the first-ever Big 12 Conference Pro Day in Frisco, Texas. It's another opportunity to turn heads or solidify what many NFL teams seem to know: Sinnott is on the fringe of being elite.
It's a small world away from Waterloo and the snow and the place so familiar.
A new home awaits.
The distance from Irvine, California, to Waterloo, Iowa, is 1,791 miles, but it seemed like a small world away, as Ben Sinnott flew from sunny to snow, and kicked caked slush from the soles of his shoes before walking inside the familiar home with familiar smells and the familiar TV that would help occupy his days as he watched the snow build up outside. Few things in life, Sinnott knew, were better than being home.
The question becomes this: Why was Sinnott in Irvine? That, for the past couple months, had been his new home. It was called Excel Sports Management, to be exact, nestled in Lakeview Business Park on Barranca Parkway, and another sizable jaunt from the football field at Bill Snyder Family Stadium, where Sinnott starred at Kansas State as one of the top tight ends in college football.
The days of playing SEMO, Troy or UCF had long since concluded, replaced by hours of drill techniques and position-specific instruction, as Sinnott joined eight other NFL Draft prospects — five players from Washington, one from Texas, one from Notre Dame, and one from Utah — in a daily regimen between 7 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. and under the guidance of former NFL greats-turned-instructors Joe Staley, Dennis Pitta and Ricky Proehl.
A morning run was followed by a session of physical therapy to work on bruises from the past season, and then Sinnott had an afternoon lift following lunch. Then he found his way to the recovery center for a couple hours — the sauna, the NormaTec, the hot tub, the cold tub, and the simple foam roller. Three times a week Sinnott spent part of his workout enhancing his 40-yard dash, working on different starts, working on the back half of the run, working on the first 20 yards, then 30, and finally the full 40.
The work began shortly after he first arrived in Irvine on New Year's Day.
This was his gateway to 2024 NFL Combine stardom on March 1.
"I think I really surprised some people with the numbers I put up," Sinnott said. "It's definitely a weird feeling knowing you were out there doing it and that you've stamped your name in history."
Sinnott had 49 catches for 676 yards (13.8 average) and six touchdowns as the top pass catcher for the Wildcats in 2023. He showed himself to be a tight end/fullback hybrid who could line up in-line, in the slot, in stacked alignments, and at halfback in the backfield while playing in a myriad of different alignments. The 2023 John Mackey Award semifinalist and Third Team All-American is called "one of the most well-rounded at tight end in recent memory," by Pro Football Network.
"KANSAS STATE TIGHT END BEN SINNOTT HAS CHECKED ALL THE BOXES TO BE AN EARLY DRAFT PICK," the headline on AZ Sports beamed.
An abundance of headlines and favorable reviews quickly emerged March 1 after Sinnott's athleticism lit Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana, on fire. NFL.com put it this way: "Sinnott came in a bit heavier (6-foot-3, 7/8, 250 pounds) than his listed weight at Kansas State (245) but still posted explosive jumps (40-inch vertical, 10-foot-6 broad) and a solid 4.68-second 40-yard dash to confirm the athleticism he showed at Kansas State. He also led all tight ends with a 6.82-second three-cone drill. His on-field work in drills was excellent, too. Sinnott's knack for snaring throws on the move was on full display, as was his ability to make tight cuts around cones. Don't be surprised if he's picked in the early-to-middle second round."
There is something called the NFL Combine Relative Athletic Score. Sinnott scored an unofficial 9.75 out of a possible 10.00 — a figure that ranked 29th out of 1,116 tight ends from 1987 to 2024. He led all tight ends in the 2024 class in vertical jump, broad jump, and his 6.82-second three-cone drill was the ninth fastest of any participant, regardless of position, at the 2024 NFL Combine.
Currently, he is projected to be a second- or third-round draft pick by most experts. Player Profiler wrote that Sinnott "improved his stock drastically" and "is now in the conversation as the second tight end to go off the board."
Sinnott remembered standing inside Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Combine with his Irvine roommate, Jack Westover (Washington), along with other tight ends that he had spoken with the most — Penn State's Theo Johnson, TCU's Jared Wiley, Minnesota's Brevyn Spann-Ford, and thinking, "This is surreal."Embraced it well @ben_sinnott #KStateFB ⚒️ #NFLCombine
— K-State Football (@KStateFB) March 2, 2024
📺 #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork pic.twitter.com/FNdUNCCQAJ
"We were like, 'It's crazy that we're here and crazy that we're doing this,'" Sinnott said. "You grow up watching the combine and seeing all your favorite players go through it. To be out there on the field stretching and getting warm to do this thing was a surreal experience and something I'll never forget."
That was the start of Sinnott's big day.
"You never know how you're going to do throughout training, and you don't have thousands of people looking at you while you're sitting up for your 40 and don't have that adrenaline rush," he said. "It's definitely still setting in how well I did. I'm hoping that holds weight and impacts the draft because I think I really surprised some people."
The drill work ended with the three-cone drill. And Sinnott's time of 6.82 seconds impressed himself the most, how he had the ninth-best time among all combine participants. His legs were dead after maxing out on five events and performing pass-catching drills, "so by the end of it, I didn't even know if I was going to do the agility drills," he said.
"To put up that good of a number when you're legs are dead, I was super happy with that time, and it's super translatable to the league, being able to change directions that quickly and get in and out of breaks. That's definitely something I wanted to show.
"I have the capabilities to fit into any scheme, any offense, and being able to play so many different positions, and the way K-State used me and trusted me with those responsibilities, it says a lot about the kind of player I am and the kind of football IQ that I bring. It only helps me. There aren't a lot of guys in this draft class, and I don't think there are any that truly have the versatility that I have when it comes to being flexed out as the No. 1 receiver or kicking a defensive end out on power. I don't think anyone brings that kind of versatility."
NFL scouts took note this past college football season. While some scouts saw Sinnott perform at K-State, scouts and other team personnel asked Sinnott for a few moments of his time in the week leading to the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama, on February 3. Sinnott spoke with all 32 NFL teams — some of them twice or three times. At the NFL Combine, Sinnott received five formal interviews with the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings and Cincinnati Bengals.
"My first meeting was with (Lions head coach) Dan Campbell, one of the most intimidating guys, right off the bat," Sinnott said. "It was cool just to be in the same room with those guys and show them the kind of person I am and my football IQ. It was awesome just getting to talk football."
Although Sinnott enjoys the positive reviews from his performances on and off the field, he knows there's much more to go. His journey has yet to begin. That'll come when the 2024 NFL Draft gets underway April 25-27.
"Where I go for the draft means little to me from a career standpoint," he said. "It's one day. It takes you to the team where you're going to go, but there's so much to prove and so many things to be done. Where you go in the draft doesn't necessarily matter in the long run.
"You see undrafted free agents be hall-of-famers and you see first-round players get cut that second year."
There was a time when playing football at the FBS level seemed like a long shot. Sinnott played six sports — hockey, football, baseball, track, golf and tennis. Sinnott had tough decisions to make, as he was the star hockey player, the No. 2-ranked first baseman in Iowa — he batted left and threw right — and emerged as the all-state tight end, wide receiver and defensive end at Columbus Catholic High School. Sinnott went to a summer football camp at South Dakota and left with a scholarship offer. But Tom, Ben's father, had an old high school classmate named Chris Klieman, who was setting up shop at K-State. Tom and Chris had known each other since they were 10, falling out of touch when Klieman went to play safety at Northern Iowa and Tom went to Iowa State.
Klieman, who won four FCS championships at North Dakota State, brought offensive coordinator Courtney Messingham, also a Waterloo native, to Manhattan prior to the 2019 season. And, well, Sinnott got his big chance to walk-on at K-State.
"Walking into K-State at about 205 pounds as a walk-on, and first time walking around the facility, and nobody knows your name or your position, it's really tough," Sinnott said. "First time away from home, first time away from your friends, it's a huge learning experience and you have to mature and know what you need to do to get on the field."
Once Sinnott found a home as a prominent pass-catching threat, he was a highlight waiting to happen. One of his best games was a seven-catch, 89-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 31-3 win over Baylor on November 12, 2022. His seven receptions were the most by a K-State tight end since 2006 and his two touchdowns marked the first multi-touchdown performance by a K-State tight end since 1996.
One week earlier, Sinnott made ESPN's SportsCenter when he jumped over a defender: "BEN SINNOTT WITH THE HURDLE!" they said on TV. Prior to that, Sinnott caught a pass at No. 6 Oklahoma — "AND HE'S DRAGGING BASCIALLY HALF THE OKLAHOMA DEFENSE INTO SOONER TERRITORY!" they said on TV.
Soon, he'll have a chance to make highlights for an NFL squad.
"I'm a guy that's resilient and who's never going to take no for an answer," he said. "I wasn't given very many opportunities coming out of high school, and I wanted to bet on myself and compete against the best. That's the mindset I'm going to continue to bring. I have that chip on my shoulder, and it just keeps growing with any doubts people might have about what I can do. It's my goal to continue to prove people wrong. I want to make every team that doesn't draft me regret that decision."
The doubters seem to have quieted, and they might quiet even more when Sinnott competes this week at the first-ever Big 12 Conference Pro Day in Frisco, Texas. It's another opportunity to turn heads or solidify what many NFL teams seem to know: Sinnott is on the fringe of being elite.
It's a small world away from Waterloo and the snow and the place so familiar.
A new home awaits.
Players Mentioned
TE
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