When the Jets’ decision-makers talk about seventh-round pick Zack Kuntz, one word consistently comes up: “Freak.”
As in: an athletic freak. Kuntz, a tight end out of Old Dominion, put up eye-popping numbers at the NFL Scouting Combine and the Jets drafted him 220th overall because of that.
“There’s an old saying, ‘Always take the freak that loves ball.’ And if you do, usually they pan out,” Jets head coach Robert Saleh said. “So, he’s got freakish ability and he’s got a love for football, so now we just got to work with him.”
Kuntz, a 6-foot-8, 255-pounder, ran a 4.55-second 40-yard dash at the combine and finished first among tight ends in the vertical jump (40 inches), the broad jump (10 feet, 8 inches), and three-cone drill (6.87 seconds). He also bench pressed 23 repetitions of 225 pounds.
That performance had the Jets drooling on Day 3 of the draft, when Kuntz was still available.
“He tested through the roof,” Jets general manager Joe Douglas said, “so we were sitting there at the top of the seventh round and just going through some of the guys who just had that freak factor to him and he was right there at the top — the size, the speed, the length, the jump, just everything and another guy who may have been drafted a little sooner if not for the injury this year.”
Kuntz suffered a dislocated kneecap in 2022 and he only played five games in his final season. That hurt his draft stock and also affected his preparation for the combine, making his performance there even more remarkable.
“You’d love to have my last year not coming off an injury,” Kuntz said. “I knew it was very doable for me to be in the position I’m in now. I think my performance at the combine definitely helped in terms of just raw athleticism and what I’m able to do physically. That’s why you go through the interview process and everything. It was such a deep tight end class. It is what it is. It’s no discredit to any of those guys. I think there’s a lot of great players. At the end of the day, I’m a Jet and I’m very happy for it.”
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Kuntz began his college career at Penn State as part of a prized recruiting class that included current Cowboys star Micah Parsons.
After just three catches in three seasons, Kuntz transferred to Old Dominion, where his former tight ends coach Ricky Rahne had become the head coach.
He had a monster 2021 season, with 73 catches for 692 yards and five touchdowns before his injury-shortened 2022 season.
Football was just one of the sports Kuntz played growing up in Camp Hill, Pa. (also the hometown of former Jets and Penn State tight end Kyle Brady).
Kuntz also was a good basketball player and won the state title in the 110-meter hurdles as a junior in high school.
He said at 6-foot-7 in high school, people used to say he should have to raise the hurdles a few inches. Kuntz would respond that they should grow a few inches.
“I’ve always used my speed,” Kuntz said. “Obviously, the hurdles aren’t much of an obstacle for me.”
There were 13 tight ends drafted before Kuntz, something he said he is mindful of.
“There’s a chip on my shoulder,” he said. “I sat there with my family and I counted every single guy. In my position right now, I’m given a great opportunity and at this point, it’s in my hands what I do with that. I’m certainly going to maximize it.”
