SF 49ers NFL Draft: 5 players who impressed most during CFB Playoff
By Peter Panacy
SF 49ers Draft Target No. 4: Tight End Jeremy Ruckert, Ohio State
. Tight End. Buckeyes . Jeremy Ruckert. 4. player. 812
Ohio State tight end Jeremy Ruckert isn’t exactly known as a prolific pass-catcher, never having more than 200 receiving yards in a single season.
But as the Niners knew with All-Pro George Kittle, lack of production at the college level doesn’t always indicate a lack of success within the NFL.
Ruckert, even if just on one play, improved his 2021 draft stock with this insane one-handed catch to help set up the Buckeyes’ first touchdown of the night:
Ohio State grabs six with help from Jeremy Ruckert 👏#NationalChampionship pic.twitter.com/Uen2u8L1x1
— ESPN (@espn) January 12, 2021
Looks like a very Kittle-esque catch, doesn’t it?
Last offseason, San Francisco spent considerable effort looking for a complementary tight end to Kittle, first selecting former Georgia tight end Charlie Woerner before adding the veteran, Jordan Reed.
Neither player panned out particularly well. And with Ruckert owning a noticeable pedigree with his blocking, just like Kittle’s college career at Iowa, it could be possible the SF 49ers look to the junior as a potential upgrade over Woerner and replacement for Reed at some point in the mid-to-late rounds.
Especially if those kinds of plays like the one above are in the arsenal of what Ruckert can do.