It is no secret that many of us here on Turn On The Jets were huge fans of Jace Amaro heading into the NFL draft this year. Personally, I felt like he had all the tools to be a perfect fit in Marty Mornhinweg’s offense and he would do wonders for Geno Smith, who didn’t have many reliable targets last year as a rookie. When the #18 pick rolled around and the Jets were on the clock, Amaro was on my short list of players I wanted to see have his name called (as I tweeted). As we know, that didn’t happen, and while I loved the Calvin Pryor selection, I was a little bit bummed that we may have missed out on the next Jimmy Graham or Gronk.

Speaking of Gronk, my next though was to pray Jace didn’t end up in New England. There was no way he’d last into the second round – specifically #49 when the Jets would pick again – so if he can’t be a Jet, he damn sure can’t be a Patriot, right? Well, the Draft Gods were smiling upon us all on May 9th, because that’s exactly what happened and the big Tight End from Texas Tech is now a Jet. I was fortunate enough to get a few minutes of his time recently to ask Jace a few questions.

Here is the interview, and be sure to follow Jace on twitter @J_Acer22.

Obviously you were busy during the season at Texas Tech, but did you follow the NFL? What did you know about the Jets before you started the whole draft process?

Jace Amaro: Yes, I was busy but I still found time to follow the NFL. With the Jets I loved their offense and I know it would be an offense where I could really showcase my skills.

MD: Now that you’re here, what are your thoughts about playing in New York?

JA: I feel like I’m very fortunate to have gotten picked by the Jets because this is the place I really wanted to be in. I felt at home when I visited New York and I got such a positive vibe from the coaches and players.

JA: I think Rex is going to be a great coach to work under. When I visited for the pre draft meetings and stuff I just got a great feeling that Rex was the coach I was suppose to be playing for.

MD: I felt that you should have been a 1st-Round pick and was originally hoping for you to be the Jets pick at #18. Were you expecting to hear your name called in the 1st Round, and what places were you thinking you might end up?

JA: I was expecting to get picked in the first round, yeah. Some places (other than with the Jets) I thought I might end up were with the Falcons, Green Bay, Seattle or the Chiefs. But it was the Jets who I was waiting for to call my name.

MD: #JetsTwitter would never let me get away with it if I didn’t ask this: How much do you bench?

JA: I can get about 375, and 400 on a good day.

MD: Are there any Patriots defensive backs you’re particularly looking forward to running over on your way to the end zone, or are they all the same to you?

JA: (Laughs) I think they’re all the same to me out on the field. I just like to focus on my routes and no matter what defensive back, I know I can manipulate the defense.

MD: Finally, is there anything you’d like to say directly to the Jets fans out there reading this?

JA: Jet Nation, I won’t let you down.

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It’s hard for New York Jets fans to not be excited about watching Jace Amaro play on Sundays in 2014 and hopefully for many, many years to come. It’s clear the rookie tight end is happy to be with the Jets and he’s going to play with a major chip on his shoulder as he looks to prove every team wrong for passing on him in the first round. Let us know what you are expecting to see from Jace on the field this year in the comments, and again make sure you check him out on twitter @J_ACER22.