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Kenyon Sadiq Quickly Showing Jets He's More Than Meets the Eye

Isaiah De Los Santos|
Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq is living up to the hype and more at rookie minicamp.
Jets tight end Kenyon Sadiq is living up to the hype and more at rookie minicamp. | Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

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New York Jets

Fourth-round quarterback Cade Klubnik has certainly commanded the most attention at the Jets' rookie minicamp this weekend. But, the second day of work also saw the spotlight firmly shine on tight end Kenyon Sadiq.

The Oregon product made his presence felt in what was reportedly an active day for the playmaker. He showed off what he can do with a nice adjustment on a ball that was thrown behind him, per ESPN's Rich Cimini, while also thriving at the intermediate level and even in traffic.

But, what was just as notable as his on-field play was what he said after the session. He noted that he's going to pick the brain of the well-traveled Geno Smith now that they're teammates. And when asked about his mentality when used in the run game instead of a passing weapon, Sadiq didn't hesitate while stating, "Go hit someone, for sure. I don't really care who it is ... If I'm going to lose a rep, I'm going to lose it trying to give it my all."

Both of these comments help show a different side of a prospect who was regarded highly based on what he brings to the table as an athletic receiver. They're also further reason for New York to feel confident it made a home-run selection.

Kenyon Sadiq's Rookie Camp Gives Jets Even More Hope for His Future

Much of the conversation around Sadiq as a top draft prospect was how he could elevate an offense with his pass-catching as a tight end. The position continues to be only more impactful in this era of football, which has coincided with more receiver-like TEs who can rack up big plays down the field or after the catch.

Sadiq certainly profiles as such after averaging over 11 yards a reception during college while finding the endzone 11 total times, including eight during his strong junior campaign that preceded him going No. 12 overall.

There is legitimate reason for skepticism with the young TE considering he's a little undersized, and the fact his 560 receiving yards in 2025 were a college career high, but it's great to see Sadiq already giving the team flashes of his receiving abilities translating to the pros at this rookie minicamp.

His build, in particular creates challenges at the next level. He'll be tasked with blocking mammoth-sized edge rushers unlike those that he primarily faced in college, and if he can't at least be somewhat effective in that area, it limits how much of a true difference he can make in the NFL when the best of his peers can do both well.

But, Sadiq's remarks show a player who wants to be a student of the game and improve. The fact getting insights from Smith is already on his radar shows that he recognizes there's a great opportunity to learn from a QB who's seen it all when it comes to the pros.

This, coupled with him making it clear he'll go down swinging as a blocker, create major confidence in Sadiq realizing what he needs to do to meet expectations. We've seen numerous highly touted prospects fail to impress at the next level, as they don't put the work in or take their raw talents and athleticism for granted.

With Sadiq, it already seems apparent he's not going down the path of thinking he's made it even though he was just a top-15 draft pick a little over two weeks ago. So New York has seemingly not only landed a young player with the physical tools to be a stud at the next level, but also the mindset to make every hope and dream that concerns him come true.

He'll certainly have his work cut out for him as he sets his sights on the preseason and Week 1. The transition from college to the pros is known for being especially challenging for tight ends, who are playing an entirely different game than the one they did in college. Even this minicamp has given Sadiq some things to work on, as his bad habit of dropping the football showed itself over this weekend.

Yet, Sadiq leaving zero doubts about his great mentality as a newly minted pro inspires hope he has what it takes to become what the Jets envision for him.

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Isaiah De Los Santos
ISAIAH DE LOS SANTOS

Isaiah De Los Santos has been in sports media for 10 years, most recently joining OnSI to cover the New York Knicks, New York Jets and New York Yankees. Previous stops for Isaiah include FanSided, SB Nation and SLAM.