Jace Amaro was drafted with the scouting report of a high volume pass-catcher with a big body.
Now, he's a big body that can run.
"This summer I really did just speed training," he said. "Running has a lot of technique to it. You can't just go out there and push a 1,000-pound sled 100-yards every single day and expect to be fast. There are a lot of mechanics that go into it and that's something I learned this summer and I feel a lot better."
The Texas native trained in Austin this offseason and weighed in at 258 pounds on report day, 15 pounds lighter than what he was in April. In the month off between minicamp and training camp, he showed off his new wheels by posting a video of his latest 40-yard dash.
The Jets originally selected Amaro in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft (No. 49 overall) and he had a productive first year, leading all rookie tight ends with 35 receptions, 345 yards and two touchdowns. After Amaro was placed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury, offensive coordinator Chan Gailey used his tight ends primarily as inline blockers last season.
In addition to his speed, Texas Tech product is honing in on the details of the game.
"It's working your craft, which is something that I didn't do early on," Amaro said regarding the biggest difference for him this season. "Now I'm taking a little more pride in that and doing the simple things like catching 100 balls on the JUGS machine after practice. It's something you have to do in order to be successful in this league."
Amaro, who is one of four tight ends in Jets history to record 10 receptions in a game, has been taking first-team reps throughout training camp. He had a strong practice again on Wednesday, which included a red zone touchdown reception in team drills.
