Jets TE Jace Amaro aims to win Rookie of the Year
By Josh Sanchez
The New York Jets selected Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft, and he is hoping that he will be able to make a splash in the league from day one.
As Amaro looks forward to his rookie campaign, he has set a personal goal of bringing home the league’s Rookie of the Year honors.
“The goal is to win the Rookie of the Year [award] and be the best offensive player you can be, and if you don’t have that mindset, then you’re not really in this for the right reasons,” Amaro said, via Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
The Jets are hoping for big things from Amaro, who will provide a target for their quarterbacks underneath and create match up nightmares as a flex player, and he certainly has the right mindset to make that happen.
As for who Amaro would like to emulate at the next level, the former Red Raider looks at two of the best tight ends in the league — Rob Gronkowski of the New England Patriots and Jimmy Graham of the New Orleans Saints.
“Those two guys are ones that I sat with my position coach [in college] and watched hours and hours of tape on in 2013,” Amaro said. “That really helped me develop my game, to really understand how they release [off the line of scrimmage] and use their size.”
Those are two players that any young tight end should be looking up to and if Amaro is able to have anywhere close to the impact that the two perennial Pro Bowlers have had in the NFL then the Jets will be getting plenty of bang for their buck.
Of course, Amaro will first need to figure out who will be throwing him the ball, because that will impact whether or not he is getting consistent targets and opportunities to make his impact felt.