THIS CORRECTS THE LAST NAME TO KUNTZ, NOT KURTZ AS ORIGINALLY SENT - New York Jets tighten Zack Kuntz (81) runs a play during the team's NFL football rookie minicamp, Friday, May 5, 2023, in Florham Park, N.J. (AP Photo/Rich Schultz) (RICH SCHULTZ, AP)
Zack Kuntz compares himself to a player on a divisional rival.
Kuntz, a seventh-round draft pick by the Jets in last week’s NFL draft, began his college career at Penn State before transferring to Old Dominion for his final two years of eligibility. So it is natural Kuntz models his game after former Penn State tight end Mike Gesicki, who spent five seasons with the Dolphins before signing with the Patriots this offseason.
“I’m familiar with him through our roots at Penn State,” Kuntz said about Gesicki. “Some of the coaches that we had and the offenses that we fit in. Obviously, it’s an easy comparison for me.
“He’s an athletic freak, as everybody knows. He’s a guy that I kind of see as similar.”
If Kuntz’s career mirrors anything close to Gesicki’s, the Jets could have one of the steals of the 2023 draft. In five seasons with the Dolphins, Gesicki caught 231 passes for 2,617 yards and 18 touchdowns. Gesicki parlayed that into a one-year, $9 million contract with the Patriots.
During his last two seasons at Old Dominion, Kuntz registered 85 catches for 836 yards and seven touchdowns.
Kuntz won’t be asked to be a significant contributor to the offense immediately. Gang Green already has Tyler Conklin, C. J. Uzomah and Jeremy Ruckert (who the team selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft).
“My biggest thing is being underneath those guys here soon and getting a feel for the room,” Kuntz said. “The thing about tight ends, a lot of it is cheering for one another and everyone is in each other’s corner.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to learn from those guys who have been doing it for a while, so they probably learned a thing or two. I’m the new guy around here, so I’m going to do everything that I can to learn.”
This weekend during rookie minicamp, many drafted players watched to the side while undrafted free agents and players who were there on a tryout ran 7-on-7 and positional drills. The Jets coaches just wanted to get players up to speed before OTAs, which begin May 22.
“You’re just trying to get them acclimated, one to the conditioning, so they’re not falling out so early and subjecting themselves to injury, but at the same time, there’s the meal plans, the nutritionist, the strength coach, the regen, all the different things that will get thrown at them, along with the playbook.
“It can get overwhelming.”
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Originally published at Tribune News Service