NFL Network's Peter Schrager and Tom Pelissero each presented their best value pick in the 2022 NFL Draft on "Good Morning Football" and Schrager went with Jets TE Jeremy Ruckert, who was selected in the third round (No. 101 overall).
"I thought he was a top-50 player and I think the Jets did as well," Schrager said. "I also think he's going to be a fantastic player. He goes to a tight ends room that already has Tyler Conklin and C.J. Uzomah. Now you add in Jeremy Ruckert, who didn't put up huge numbers, but was in an offense with Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, and Jameson Williams before [he transferred to Alabama].
"Every time he touched the ball, he made an impact. He scored five touchdowns last year, he was all over the field and he blocked. The Jets were thrilled that Ruckert was still on the board at that spot in the third round and they get another talented player in what was a loaded draft."
The Green & White coached Ruckert, who grew up a Jets fan in Lindenhurst, NY, on Long Island at the Senior Bowl. He flashed as a receiver in Mobile after not having a lot of opportunities for the Buckeyes (54 receptions in 47 games).
"He's a really tough minded individual," Jets general manager Joe Douglas said. "Great teammate. He's a guy that's willing to sacrifice for the team. He's a dynamic athlete, he's a dynamic weapon in the pass game, but he wasn't always the number one option at Ohio State. He was a guy that was willing to do the dirty work to help his teammates as a blocker. He really committed to helping his running backs at the point of attack and he gets after guys at the line of scrimmage, but he can also get open against safeties and create separation in the pass game. He's got excellent ball skills and he's got some run after catch, too."
Head coach Robert Saleh described Ruckert as a bulldog in the run game.
"He's going to have a chance to grow in this offense and develop and take a little bit of everybody because he has the ability to block," Saleh said. "He has the athleticism to be a guy who can win on third downs. He's going to develop nicely, too. So, it's a really cool dynamic group. There's a lot of cool pieces there and it'll be fun to see how they kind of shape and what kind of roles they take as we go through OTAs and training camp."
