The 2023 offseason has been rich in speculation for sophomore tight ends. Chigoziem Okonkwo is everyone’s favorite breakout. Greg Dulcich is Sean Payton’s “Joker .”Trey McBride was TE1 in the class and will surely get his chance in a full-blown rebuild in Arizona. Isaiah Likely could be Todd Monken’s new favorite toy in two tight end sets Monken ran so well in Georgia featuring Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington. Jelani Woods will complement the diverse run game Shane Steichen will bring to Indianapolis. Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot will vie to take over Dalton Schultz’s role in Dallas. And Cade Otton will get all the garbage time he could want in Tampa Bay.
And then there’s Jeremy Ruckert.
One catch for eight yards in Week 18. That is it, the entirety of Jeremy Ruckert’s rookie production.
Ruckert was the fourth tight end selected in the 2022 class. A day two selection, he went before everyone but McBride, Woods, and Dulcich. Before Okonwko, or Otton, or Likely. And those eight yards? That’s eight more yards than Travis Kelce gained his rookie year. And it’s two more than Dalton Schultz posted in his second year.
Tight ends can take a year. Or two. It is known.
The Resume
Ruckert was a five-star recruit, the Gatorade New York Player of the Year, and the number one tight end in the class of 2018. That recruiting class included Kyle Pitts and Pat Freiermuth. He was more of a large wide receiver in high school, who played both ways, totaling over 3,000 career receiving yards and 13 sacks his senior season.
He broke out his sophomore year of college, becoming a contributor in an offense that featured Justin Fields, J.K. Dobbins, Chris Olave, and Garrett Wilson. His junior year was a covid shortened season, where he caught five touchdowns in five games. He posted 309 receiving yards his senior year before the Jets brought the local kid back home.
He was injured in the Senior Bowl, hurting his foot and requiring placement on the injured list, missing most of the offseason programming before returning in the middle of the preseason. Coach Robert Saleh revealed Ruckert dealt with plantar fasciitis during his rookie season.
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