Former Ohio State fullback/tight end Mitch Rossi will look to continue his football career at the professional level at New York Giants rookie minicamp this weekend.
As reported by ESPN’s Jordan Raanan, Rossi will participate at New York Giants rookie minicamp Rossi on Friday and Saturday with the goal of carving out a spot for him on the roster. He recently completed his sixth season at Ohio State, with the last two on scholarship after playing his first four seasons as a walk-on out of Franklin, Tenn.
He appeared in 48 games for the Buckeyes, filling in at fullback, tight end and on special teams, where he was a consistent contributor. He played all 13 games this past season for Ohio State, rushing five times for 12 yards and a touchdown while hauling in two receptions for 19 yards and another score.
His abilities were utilized more often as a blocker, though. According to Pro Football Focus, he blocked on 215 snaps last season, earning him a run-blocking grade of 82.6, second-best on the team behind offensive tackle Dawand Jones (85.0).
While he does not project to the NFL as a traditional tight end, a role such as that of San Francisco 49ers fullback Kyle Juszczyk makes Rossi an intriguing option as a high-priority undrafted free agent.
“I think that that role is starting to come back, you see the 49ers and some other teams are using the fullback in a creative way,” Rossi said during last year’s fall camp. “It’s exciting that I have that skill set. Potentially utilizing that (at Ohio State) and maybe at the next level would be awesome.”
