Getty New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh at offseason workouts in 2023.
The New York Jets have made another signing at wide receiver on May 24 according to KPRC2 NFL insider Aaron Wilson.
“Jets sign former Kutztown @KUBearsFootball wide receiver and Division II standout Jerome Kapp after a successful minicamp workout, according to a league source,” Wilson informed.
𝙎𝙄𝙂𝙉𝙀𝘿🖊️🐻
Jerry Kapp has signed with the New York Jets!
@JeromeKapp85 #BearsEat #BearsCompete
Later, “Kutztown Football” confirmed the news, noting that “Jerry Kapp has signed with the New York Jets!”
New Jets WR Signing Jerome Kapp Caught the Eye of Media During Minicamp
Kapp obviously caught the attention of head coach Robert Saleh’s staff during rookie minicamp in early May, but they weren’t the only ones that noticed the 6-foot-3 pass-catcher.
Jets X-Factor co-owner and media member Robby Sabo tweeted the following on May 5: “Tremendous release off the line by Kutztown WR Jerome Kapp, beating Armani Marsh (Washington St.). QB hit him in stride, 10-15 yards in total (+YAC). Both guys invited via ‘tryout.'”
On May 24, Sabo dug up this tweet, adding: “Yes sir; just heard the Jets snagged him.”
Although he made a name for himself at Kutztown (Pennsylvania), Kapp began his college football journey at Seton Hall University (also in PA). After redshirting his freshman season with the Griffins, the wideout transferred to Kutztown in 2019 and worked his way up the ladder from there.
According to the Kutztown Golden Bears website, Kapp averaged 38.5 yards per game through the air in 2019 with 24 rushing yards and six total touchdowns (one passing, five receiving). He steadily increased his production from there after missing the 2020 campaign due to the pandemic.
Put together a video with some of my collegiate career highlights. Very excited for what’s to come, Time to get to work #TrustGodsPlan 🤍
Over 13 games in 2021, Kapp totaled 812 receiving yards (62.5 per game, 18.9 per catch) with eight touchdowns and 21 rushing yards. He topped that during his final collegiate season in 2022, with 916 receiving yards over 11 games (83.3 per game, 19.5 per catch). The touchdowns steadily increased too, with nine receiving TDs that year.
As mentioned above, Kapp is 6-foot-3 and weighs in at 210 pounds, so he’s another big body for offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett to develop. He made Dean’s List all three seasons at Kutztown as a PSAC Scholar-Athlete, with a D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award in each of those years.
His final season at Kutztown, Kapp also made the All-PSAC East First Team at wide receiver.
Jets Signing Jerome Kapp Holds Himself to a ‘Very High Standard’ as a WR
Kapp interviewed with NFL Draft Diamonds in June of 2022, ahead of his final collegiate campaign.
“One thing NFL teams should know about me is I am my own biggest critic,” Kapp told the scouting site. “I hold myself to a very high standard and I always want to find new ways to get better. Whether it be on the field, in the classroom, or in life itself. I am never satisfied because I know in this world there is always more to give, more inches to go, and more glass ceilings to break through.”
Does that sound like someone Coach Saleh might target? (It does).
Kapp was asked to explain why he’s a “top prospect” as well. He replied: “I believe what makes me a top prospect in the 2023 NFL Draft is my ability to track the football while it is in the air and using all my physical attributes to go up and come down with the ball. I also believe my mindset of not being a finished product comes into play. I always strive to put new tools in my toolbelt and then after that know when to use the specific tools at the right times.”
Later, the Kutztown product compared his game to Tampa Bay Buccaneers star Mike Evans because of his ball tracking and his ability on 50/50 passes.
Kapp also provided fans with a moment of adversity that he had to overcome.
“The hardest moment in my life I had to overcome was breaking my thumb during camp of 2019,” he began. “After breaking my thumb, I was upset because I knew I was going to miss games and it was the last thing I wanted to do.”
“Three days after breaking it I went in for surgery and got six pins and a plate put into my hand,” Kapp continued. “I missed the first game of the season, but I was determined to not miss any more than that. Monday, after the first game I got my stitches taken out and I was cleared to practice but I had to wear a club on my hand. With the club I had access to about two inches on each finger and less than an inch of the top of my thumb. No one expected me to play but I knew I could do it and so did my coaches.”
The story’s ending? After practicing all week, Kapp was cleared to play in game two. “Less than two weeks out of surgery I caught my first ever college touchdown pass,” he noted during the interview, “and at that moment… I proved everyone who doubted me wrong.”
That should give Jets fans a little taste of the player they are getting in Jerome Kapp.