Mitchell Van Vooren Comes Full Circle: From Announcing NFL Picks to Hoping for His Own Name on Draft Day

Mitchell Van Vooren is chasing a rare kind of NFL dream—one that started on stage handing out picks and could end with his own name echoing through Lambeau Field. Nearly a decade after announcing a Miami Dolphins selection in 2016, Van Vooren is now one of this year's draft hopefuls, aiming to swap the role of announcer for that of freshly minted pro.

Back in 2016, Van Vooren was just a face in the crowd, reading out UCLA tight end Thomas Duarte's name as the Dolphins' seventh-round pick. Fast forward nine years and Van Vooren, now a tight end himself, is looking to hear his own name called before the last draft card is turned in Saturday.

What makes his journey even wilder: Van Vooren skipped football entirely in his college days at first. He was a track star at Marquette, earning four varsity letters and breaking the school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a blistering 51.38 seconds. His speed got him into the NCAA West Regional, where he finished 18th in the quarterfinals.

After his track chapter, Van Vooren transferred to St. Norbert and finally hit the gridiron, playing two seasons. There, he snagged 65 passes for 1,045 yards and 13 touchdowns across 22 games. Not bad for someone whose football career was basically on the back burner until recently.

Despite a short résumé on the field, his talent landed him workouts with none other than the Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns. Van Vooren says he's not picky about how he gets in—"Whether I get drafted or sign as a free agent, the goal is just to get a foot in the door," he told Marquette Today. Honestly, that’s the kind of hustle you love to see.

To top it all off, Van Vooren grew up in Marinette, Wisconsin—just about an hour from this year’s draft site at Lambeau Field. If his name is called, it’ll be a true hometown story, the kind that could almost make a Packers fan tear up (almost).