Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert grew up watching the Jets as a native of Long Island. In just a few short months, there’s a chance that the tight end-needy team selects him in the 2022 NFL draft.
And his father is on board with that happening.
The Reese’s Senior Bowl Twitter account shared the list of tight ends who will be working with New York’s coaching staff as members of the National team. Ruckert was among them, which prompted a response from Ruckert’s father, Bill.
“J-E-T-S -JETS JETS JETS,” Ruckert tweeted, along with a picture that appears to be Jeremy with a Jets logo painted on his face.
J-E-T-S -JETS JETS JETS pic.twitter.com/aOKtHuUAU2
— Bill Ruckert (@BeerShot21) January 15, 2022
Bill wasn’t done there. He found a tweet from The Athletic’s Dane Brugler stating that he liked Ruckert’s fit with the Jets. Bill responded with the same picture he posted under the Senior Bowl tweet.
Really like the fit of TE Jeremy Ruckert (Long Island native) to the #Jets on day 2.
Ruckert is a ball-winner and future starting Y TE. Will be a better pro than college player. https://t.co/5PfXUrxkdy
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) January 15, 2022
Jeremy attended Lindenhurst Senior High School in Suffolk County and developed into one of the best tight ends in the nation. He decided to take his talents to Ohio State and caught 54 passes for 615 yards and 12 touchdowns in four seasons with the program.
Ruckert’s career numbers don’t jump off the page, but he didn’t get a ton of targets with Ohio State’s wide receiver room being one of the most talented and deepest in college football. Brugler’s assessment that Ruckert has a chance to be a better pro than a college player has credence, as his pass-catching ability and ball skills were on display whenever he could get a look from a Buckeyes quarterback.
The Jets desperately need to upgrade at tight end this offseason. Not having an impactful receiver at the position took a potentially valuable safety blanket away from Zach Wilson. That didn’t necessarily hinder his development, but it certainly didn’t help it, either.
Ruckert just might be the tight end the Jets are looking for. If that winds up being the case, his dad’s push to bring his son back to the Big Apple might lead to a big Ruckert family cheering section in MetLife Stadium one day.
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