Jace Amaro looking at Tony Gonzalez as a benchmark
New York Jets rookie tight end Jace Amaro was one of the three most talented players at the position in the 2014 NFL Draft, and the Jets were able to snag him in the second round after adding impact safety Calvin Pryor in the first. Shaq Evans and Jalen Saunders also joined the team in the mid-rounds of the draft, so Geno Smith definitely has better weapons around him heading into his second season in the league with big offseason signing Eric Decker also joining the likes of Jeremy Kerley and No. 2 TE Jeff Cumberland.
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According to ESPN New York’s Rich Cimini, Amaro stated that he’s looking to be the next Tony Gonzalez at the position, so the Texas Red Raiders product certainly has lofty goals for himself. He said, “I’d definitely like to (model) his game. … That’s someone who I’d ultimately love to be. He’s supposedly the greatest tight end to ever play. That’s somewhere where I want to be, too.”
Amaro added, “Eventually, I’d like to do that on a consistent basis, be a tight end that catches 100 balls a year. That might be five years from now, it might be 10. That’s kind of a goal for me.”
It will be interesting to see how much success Amaro has as a rookie, because there’s some concern regarding his lateral agility. He’s a physical specimen with plenty of athletic ability and a nice size-speed combination, and his strength gives him the upside to be a solid blocker in the future. That will take some development, though, so it’s another thing to keep an eye on. Amaro has the upside to be a huge piece and mis-match maker on the Jets defense, as he can line up as a traditional tight end or- and this is his better fit right now- as a hybrid guy in the slot.