The Tennessee Titans added tight end depth with the signing of Jace Amaro, who is coming off an injury plagued 2015 season. Sharona turns to Amaro’s tape to see if he has the traits to move up the depth chart and stick in the Titans’ Exotic Smashmouth offense.
Coming out of Texas Tech in 2014, tight end Jace Amaro was projected as a day one draft pick. A dual-sport athlete in both football and basketball, Amaro had the size and physicality (6’ 5” and 265 lbs) to be the type of hybrid tight end that NFL teams covet.
Drafted by the New York Jets in the second round (overall pick 49), Amaro only played one full NFL season before being released by the Jets following their 2016 training camp. Dave Archibald, of Inside the Pylon, broke down some of Amaro’s play with the Jets here. Amaro was subsequently signed by the Tennessee Titans a day later.
Currently, Amaro is third on the tight end depth chart behind Delanie Walker and Phillip Supernaw. Supernaw came into the league as an undrafted free agent out of Ouachita Baptist University and has bounced around the league since 2012. He has a total of 3 career receptions for 32 yards in the NFL. Walker is one of the best tight ends in the league and is the Titans leading receiver.
To date, Amaro has failed to take advantage of his opportunities, but he now has a real shot with the Titans. In fairness, he did miss all of 2015 with a torn labrum. How, then, does he fit in with Tennessee and how well does he stack up against Walker? Let’s take a look.
[dt_divider style=”thick” /]The Good
When committed, he has decent follow through and generally holds his man.
Despite pre-draft analysis to the contrary, Amaro did block and when he focuses on technique and footwork he was pretty good.
The main concern is his blocking technique, as he often blocks too high and fails to gain leverage.
[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-bowl-block-1-no-audio.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-Block-1-Still.png”]
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[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-bowl-block-2-no-audio.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-Bowl-Block-2-Still.png”]
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When focused, Amaro shows similar ability to Walker as a receiver as evidenced by this play from Texas Tech:
[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-bowl-catch-no-audio.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-Bowl-Catch-Still.png”]
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[dt_divider style=”thick” /]The Bad: He isn’t quite Delanie Walker
By contrast, Walker appears to actively enjoy blocking:
[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-block-1.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-Block-1-Still.png”]
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Walker has great ability to center his body and get leverage on his man:
[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-block-2.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-Block-2-Still.png”]
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Added to that is Walker’s ability to square up in his routes as a receiving target, shed blockers, stiff arm them and score touchdowns
[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-catch-1.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-Catch-1-Still.png”]
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[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-catch-2.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-Catch-2-Still.png”]
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[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-catch-3.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Delanie-Walker-Catch-3-Still.png”]
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[dt_divider style=”thick” /]The Ugly
Unfortunately, Amaro tends to lose focus and is often lackadaisical in both blocking and receiving as evidenced by this sequences of plays here.
[jwplayer file=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-Iowa-Sample.mp4″ image=”http://cdn.insidethepylon.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Jace-Amaro-Iowa-Sample-Still.png”]
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In summary, Amaro’s game doesn’t appear to have grown much since he was drafted. Presented with a prime opportunity in Tennessee.
Follow Sharona on Twitter @SportsbySharona, and check out her Diary of a DFS Virgin as well as her appearance on ITP’s Mock War Room.
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All film courtesy of NFL Game Pass and DraftBreakdown.