In the first quarter, he caught a one-yard touchdown pass, giving the Buckeyes a 14-7 lead in the contest in which they ultimately prevailed 42-20 against the Oregon Ducks.

Prior to his senior season, Vannett was ranked as the best tight end prospect by ESPN NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay.

[4] The week leading up to the Senior Bowl, Vannett impressed many scouts and analysts during practice with many surprised by his blocking skills and receiving ability.

[5] On January 30, 2016, Vannett caught three passes for 58-yards as a part of Dallas Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett's North team who lost 16–27 to the South.

[8] On March 11, 2016, Vannett attended Ohio State's Pro Day, along with Cardale Jones, Pat Elflein, Eli Apple, Marshon Lattimore, Braxton Miller, Michael Thomas, Joey Bosa, Vonn Bell, Darron Lee, Taylor Decker, Ezekiel Elliott, Joshua Perry, Jalin Marshall, Adolphus Washington, and Tyvis Powell.

[10] At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Vannett was projected to be a third or fourth round pick by the majority of NFL draft experts and analysts.

[17] Head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider stated they originally drafted Vannett to be a traditional Y tight end that is more focused on blocking.

[19][20] He entered his first training camp for the Seattle Seahawks competing against Luke Willson, Cooper Helfet, Ronnie Shields, and Brandon Williams, for the job as the second tight end.

[21] Head coach Pete Carroll named Vannett the third tight end to begin the regular season, behind veterans Jimmy Graham and Luke Willson.

[22] During the Seahawks' second preseason game against the Vikings, Vannett caught one pass for a 15-yard gain, but suffered an ankle injury and was unable to finish the 18–11 loss.

During the game, Seahawks' tight end Luke Willson left after sustaining a knee injury that would require surgery to repair damaged cartilage and stretched ligaments.

He caught his first career reception from a pass from Russell Wilson and gained seven yards before being tackled by Saints cornerback De'Vante Harris.

Vannett was a healthy scratch through Weeks 16–17 and throughout the postseason as head coach Pete Carroll decided to instead play Jimmy Graham, Luke Willson and Brandon Williams.

[28] Vannett was slated to be the third tight end on the Seahawks' depth chart to begin the 2017 season after Brandon Williams departed for the Indianapolis Colts in free agency.