Former Baylor basketball star signs with Seattle Seahawks

Former Baylor basketball star and national champion Mark Vital has signed with the Seattle Seahawks practice squad, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapaport. The 6-foot-5, 250-pound former power forward is now listed as a tight end.

Seattle is entering its first season under offensive coordinator Shane Waldron, who spent years with the Los Angeles Rams as a passing game coordinator and tight end coach. One of his first key additions this offseason was former Rams tight end Gerald Everett, who he worked with through his entire NFL career.

Vital announced his plan to pursue an NFL career on social media in late August, telling fans that he would only consider professional options and not go back to Baylor for a season of college football.

“I feel like I can be a Hall of Famer,” Vital told KPLC in Louisiana. “I’m already getting compared to Antonio Gates from different scouts and teams when hearing them talk about me.”

Good company for Mark Vital

In addition to the Antonio Gates comparisons Vital mentions, there are a couple more obvious names that come to mind. Former Baylor basketball players Rico Gathers and Ish Wainwright both tried their hands at football following successful basketball careers.

Gathers was drafted in the sixth round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. He was on the practice squad for two seasons before playing in 2018. He has three catches for 45 yards in 15 NFL games.

Wainwright did not make it to the NFL but recording four catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns in 2017 as part of the Baylor football team.

Vital played three games for the Portland Trail Blazers during the this year’s NBA Summer League, playing 12 minutes per game. He averaged 1.3 points and 4.0 rebounds on 50 percent shooting before opting to pursue football.

Vital did not play for the Baylor football team at any point, focusing on basketball throughout his college career. He averaged 5.6 points and 6.7 rebounds on his way to a national championship. Vital was also named a Big 12 All-Defensive team member for the third time in his career.

According to the Waco Tribune-Herald, he has not played football since middle school in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Mark Vital joins former Maryland football player Tyler Mabry at tight end on the Seahawks practice squad.

Other tight ends on the Seahawks active roster include Everett, Colby Parkinson and Will Dissly.