These Senior Bowl tight ends could fill desperate…

MOBILE, Ala. — The Jets have a long list of needs this offseason, but one that is near the top of that list is tight end. This week at the Senior Bowl, the Jets got to see some tight end prospects up close that they may consider when the 2022 NFL Draft arrives in April.

The Jets coached the National Team and had some of the top tight end prospects in this year’s draft on their team in Colorado State’s Trey McBride and Ohio State’s Jeremy Ruckert.

Jets tight ends coach Ron Middleton served as the head coach this week in Mobile and came away impressed with the tight ends overall. This was Middleton’s fifth time coaching in the Senior Bowl.

“I really like the group,” Middleton said. “I think some big, pretty guys in there. Golly. Long and athletic and shows some toughness and can make plays on the ball. They’re not already made by any means but we’re very excited to see this group. They’re probably the best group of guys I’ve had to work with.”

McBride is the headliner in the group. He is 6-foot-4 and 260 pounds and ranked by most draft experts as the best tight end in this year’s crop. He caught 90 passes for 1,121 yards last year and could be a target in the second round for the Jets.

“Fine prospect,” Middleton said of McBride. “He’s a tough guy. I was telling [offensive assistant Billy Vandemerkt] earlier, ‘it ain’t going to be nothing pretty. It’s just doggone meat and potatoes, baby.’ He loves the grind. He loves the strain. What he doesn’t realize and maybe he does realize, I think his technique from a blocking standpoint has the furthest to go. He will stick his face in there. He will latch on. We’ve got to get his hands tighter on contact. We’ve got to get his feet moving on contact, but the strain, the effort, the want-to are all there. The guy is going to make plays. He’s not going to run away from anybody, by no means, but he’s going to make plays in the passing game. If you throw him the ball, he’s going to catch it.”

Jets coach Robert Saleh and offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur saw what a great tight end could do in their offense with George Kittle in San Francisco. McBride said he feels like he can be a player like Kittle in the Jets offense.

“I feel like I’m a guy just like George that can do it all,” McBride said. “I’m a run-blocking guy, can catch the ball and, most of all, I’m a competitor, a winner. I feel like I fit a lot of offenses, but definitely that one.”

The Jets have not had a really productive tight end since Dustin Keller 10 years ago. It is essential they find one to help quarterback Zach Wilson’s development and give their offense another dimension.

Ruckert, who is from Lindenhurst, did not put up the same kind of numbers as McBride but is popular with coaches and scouts. He had 26 catches for 309 yards and three touchdowns for the Buckeyes last year.

“You’ve got to take into account the offense that he’s in,” Middleton said when asked about Ruckert’s modest numbers. “When he was given opportunities in that offense to make plays on the ball, he made plays on the ball. I don’t know what’s the extent of his route tree, how many routes he’s ran, but had no issue catching the ball when it was thrown to him and did not pass up a chance to knock the hell out of somebody. He likes contact. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he still likes contact. He moves good and he has a burst after the catch. There’s a lot of positives about that kid.”