NFL hopeful returns to draft as prospect nearly 10 years after stepping on stage to announce Dolphins pick

Nine years after Mitchell Van Vooren announced a Miami Dolphins pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, he hopes to hear his own name called at some point before the final selection in this year's draft is made on Saturday.

Van Vooren announced UCLA tight end Thomas Duarte as the Dolphins' seventh-round pick in 2016. Now almost a decade later, Van Vooren is in the 2025 NFL Draft as a tight end himself. 

Van Vooren did not play football throughout his college career, however, as he started off as a track star. 

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Mitchell Van Vooren holds the draft card of Thomas Duarte during the 2016 NFL Draft. (Courtesy of Mitchell Van Vooren)

Before Van Vooren transferred to St. Norbert to play football, he received four varsity letters from Marquette in track. He qualified for the NCAA Division I West Regional in the 400-meter hurdles and broke the school record with a time of 51.38 seconds. 

He placed 18th in the NCAA West Quarterfinals with a time of 51.75 seconds.  

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Mitchell Van Vooren poses with a trophy.  (Cat Wavrunek/Pic6 Action Photography)

After track at Marquette, Van Vooren played football for two seasons at St. Norbert. Over 22 games, he caught 65 passes for 1,045 yards with 13 touchdowns. 

Despite having played just those 22 collegiate games, Van Vooren’s success on the field earned him workouts with the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns, per NFL Network. 

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Mitchell Van Vooren catches a pass.  (Cat Wavrunek/Pic6 Action Photography)

"Whether I get drafted or sign as a free agent, the goal is just to get a foot in the door," Van Vooren said via Marquette Today. 

To add to what would already be an incredible story, Van Vooren grew up in Marinette, Wisconsin, about an hour away from where the NFL Draft is being held at Lambeau Field, and where his name could be called. 

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