USAT: Jets Wire audio clip

USAT: Jets Wire

Feb 5, 2022

The Jets have a major hole to fill at tight end this offseason. Fortunately for them, there are a couple of great prospects in the 2022 draft, some of whom are at the Senior Bowl this week with tight ends coach Ron Middleton running the show for the National Team. - One player who jumped out to Middleton is Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert, whose dad wants the Jets to draft him. Though Ruckert’s college stats are not as impressive as some of the other tight ends – he caught just 26 receptions for 309 yards and three touchdowns as a senior – Middleton sees a lot of potential in the Long Island native. - “You’ve got to take into account the offense that he’s in,” Middleton said Thursday, via The New York Post. “When he was given opportunities in that offense to make plays on the ball, he made plays on the ball. I don’t know what’s the extent of his route tree, how many routes he’s ran, but had no issue catching the ball when it was thrown to him and did not pass up a chance to knock the hell out of somebody.” - That last part is important to the Jets because they need physicality at the line of scrimmage from their pass-catchers and blockers. Tight ends play both roles in Mike LaFleur’s offense, and the Jets didn’t see a lot of either from the likes of Ryan Griffin, Tyler Kroft or Kenny Yeboah in 2021. - “[Ruckert] likes contact,” Middleton continued. “Once he gets the ball in his hands, he still likes contact. He moves good and he has a burst after the catch. There’s a lot of positives about that kid.” - Whether or not Ruckert is a legitimate draft target for the Jets remains to be seen. Colorado State’s Trey McBride is a more coveted prospect, but he may go earlier than the Jets want to draft a tight end. - New York owns two picks in each of the first two rounds and five picks in the top 70 slots, so drafting a tight end early is certainly on the table. It sounds like Ruckert is among those the Jets are interested in if they decide to bring in a rookie this season. - - List - - 6 offensive players Jets should focus on at Senior Bowl - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Email - - - - - Sign up - - - - - - - - Like this article? - Sign up for the Jets Wire email newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning - - - - An error has occured - - - Please re-enter your email address. - - - - - - Thanks for signing up! - - - You'll now receive the top Jets Wire stories each day directly in your inbox.

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