The electric do-it-all tight end leaves an illustrious career in Bowling Green to continue his football journey in-state with the Browns.
Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green’s first-ever consensus All-American prospect, is officially a member of the Cleveland Browns after being selected 67th overall in the 2025 NFL Draft on Friday night.
Fannin’s career at Bowling Green was fascinating from the start, sitting behind future NFL tight end Christian Sims and getting snaps mostly at fullback in his true freshman campaign in 2022— scoring four of his five touchdowns that season via the run.
2023 saw Fannin take over starting duties full-time, immediately putting himself on the map by finishing sixth in the NCAA (and leading the MAC) in receiving yards (623) and touchdowns (six) by a tight end, while also leading the MAC in receptions by a tight end (44.) 406 of those receiving yards were after the catch, placing him second in the country to future first-round pick Brock Bowers.
This past campaign in 2024 saw Fannin turn from the MAC’s best-kept secret to a full-out star at the NCAA level, becoming the first tight end to ever lead the NCAA in both receiving yards (1,555) and receptions (117), while also breaking the FBS record for average receiving yards per game by a tight end (119.6) en route to MAC Offensive Player of the Year honors, concensus All-American honors and a spot as a finalist for the 2024 John Mackey Award (which went to Penn State’s Tyler Warren, who was selected 14th overall by the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night.)
By the end of his three-year career, Fannin broke a total of 21 program records for the Falcons and was a back-to-back first-team all-MAC selection (2023-24.)
Fannin earned invitations to both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine, participating in both events.
Senior Bowl week was key for Fannin, who saw looks in-line, at H-back and at the big slot position throughout team activities. Fannin had a slow start to the week, but eventually showed some promise later on, especially in redzone and one-on-one drills.
The Combine was a bit of a step backwards for Fannin, but he did enough in the athletic drills to prove he has a shot at belonging at the pro level.
What the Browns will be getting in Fannin is a young, moldable prospect whose film suggests they’re best when the lights are on. Fannin, who is only 20 years old, will need some time and belief from the coaching staff to reach his potential, but he already has plus route-running and yards-after-catch ability which can carry his development while he figures out other aspects of the position.
There will, of course, be concerns about his size affecting his long-term projection, but his positional versatility between the three major tight end positions should prove to be helpful in that regard as a reliable depth piece even if he doesn’t reach his ceiling.
Kent Lee Platte (RAS.football)