Texas Tech tight end Jace Amaro isn't saying if he will declare for the 2014 NFL Draft just yet, but the Texas coaching staff has a few ideas about how he might fit in once he gets there.
Longhorns head coach Mack Brown sees "a bigger, thicker Jermichael Finley" when he sees Amaro (6-foot-5, 260 pounds) on tape, while defensive coordinator Greg Robinson is reminded of New England Patriots superstar Rob Gronkowski.
"I know Rob very well, but he (Amaro) affects the game similarly," Robinson said. "He's a big-body guy. He's like a power forward playing basketball."
"I think he'll be a great pro player," Brown said Monday. "He's not a good player. He's a great player. Unless you give him special attention, you are going to lose the game."
Amaro leads the Big 12 with 92 receptions this season, 20 more than the next closest players, Red Raiders teammate Eric Ward. He also is second in receiving yards with 1,157.
Amaro didn't play against Texas last season; he missed the last six games of the regular season because of internal bleeding.
Amaro, who lines up primarily as a slot receiver in the Air Raid spread offense, is likely to see plenty of promising nickelback Quandre Diggs (5-10, 200) on Thanksgiving.
Follow Dan Greenspan on Twitter @DanGreenspan.
