Jace

Amaro

He weighed in at 6-foot-5 3/8 and 265 pounds Friday, and led all tight ends on the bench press with 28 reps. Amaro was an extremely productive collegian and has an ideal size-speed combination for the increasingly tight end-heavy NFL. He projects as a mid to late first-rounder.

It’s perhaps notable that Rob Gronkowski is currently listed at 6-foot-6, 265, just a hair taller than Amaro. Very much in the first-round discussion, Amaro posted a ridiculous 106-1,352-12.8-7 receiving line as a junior before leaving early for the pros. Find out where Rotoworld college prospects guru Josh Norris sent Amaro in his latest mock draft at the link below.

The 49th overall pick in the 2014 draft, Amaro missed all of 2015 after catching 38 passes for 345 yards (9.1 YPR) as a rookie. Amaro was not drafted by the current Jets regime. “He’s competing for a spot like everybody else,” Bowles said. “He missed a year. I haven’t seen him play yet.” Whereas Bowles said the Jets “still see (Amaro) as an H-back,” beat reporter Rich Cimini says “Amaro doesn’t share the same thought,” and sees himself as a “traditional tight end, capable of playing every down.” This is a make-or-break year for Amaro in New York.

Blocking is tough to assess without pads on, but Johnson added Amaro “made a lot of strides” before tearing his labrum last August. Now healthy, Amaro has a great opportunity to carve out an offensive role if he can become even an average blocker. Jets tight ends caught a grand total of eight passes last season, and the depth chart might be even weaker this year.

The No. 49 overall pick of the 2014 draft, Amaro bombed as a rookie before missing all of last season with a shoulder injury. He caught five passes for 35 yards this preseason. He’s getting released from one of the league’s thinnest tight end corps. It’s not a good sign for his future. Still only 24, Amaro will get a second chance, perhaps even directly off waivers, but he’s no longer a Dynasty league consideration.

Amaro never settled in with New York and fell off after a solid start this preseason. Tennessee uses Delanie Walker as a de facto wide receiver on many of his snaps, and that is a role in which Amaro could thrive. He still needs to clean up his drops and become a more proficient blocker to hang in the NFL.

The Jets had only eight catches from their tight ends last season. Amaro’s return has potential to give them an upgrade, but he isn’t a roster lock after missing all of 2015. Even if he starts, Amaro projects for a low-volume role.

Both of the failed targets were drops, a problem Amaro has dealt with throughout his career. The first was a particularly egregious drop along the sideline in the second quarter. Amaro saw more run with Quincy Enunwa sidelined with a concussion, but he certainly did not make the most of the work. It is looking less and less likely he earns a significant role.

“He is making a lot of catches, including a few diving ones, and has been a noticeable target in red-zone drills,” Costello wrote. To this point, Amaro has been a total bust as the 49th overall pick of the 2014 draft, struggling to catch the ball as a rookie and then missing all of 2015 with a shoulder injury. Amaro has a chance to change that if he can make the team and climb to the top of the depth chart. He’s taking blocking more seriously and has shed some weight.

Amaro struggled with drops as a rookie, and his technique played a big role in his issues. “I always used to close in on the ball with my hands, rather than bringing them tight and holding them in there, and then getting the ball,” Amaro said. “I was waiting for the ball to get there, rather than [forming the] initial triangle and punching at the ball.” Marshall showed him how to “punch at the ball” early in the offseason program, and Amaro spent the rest of the summer working on the technique. Considering the almost universal praise he has received early in camp, the work seems to have paid off. The favorite in a thin tight-end corps, Amaro has some TE2 appeal at his bare-minimum cost.