Zach Rogers Still Performing Well With Jets

Jul 27, 2013; Cortland, NY, USA; New York Jets wide receiver Zach Rogers (9) reaches to make a catch during training camp at SUNY Cortland. Mandatory Credit: Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

Very few people outside of SEC country, more specifically Knoxville, TN, realized who Zach Rogers was going to the 2013 NFL Draft.

There’s still few people outside of Tennessee that know who Rogers is, even though he received some attention from draft analyst Mike Mayock, after Mayock attended Tennessee’s pro-day in March.

Rogers, who was overshadowed by Cordarrelle Patterson, Justin Hunter and Da’Rick Rogers during his time at Tennessee, impressed Mayock enough to convince the NFL Network analyst that Rogers should be drafted in the mid to late rounds.

The former Vol, however, ended up going undrafted and signed with the New York Jets.

Since signing with the Jets, Rogers has impressed the Jets’ coaches, including head coach Rex Ryan, during mini-camps.

He’s opened training camp with that same consistency.

That consistency saw him catch 32 passes for 491 yards as a senior at Tennessee.

That may not sound like a lot, but when you consider that Rogers was playing behind Justin Hunter, Cordarrelle Patterson and Mychal Rivera (three players that were drafted in 2013) that makes those numbers jump out a bit more.

Ending up with the Jets is a good situation for Rogers. While he won’t unseat Stephen Hill, Santonio Holmes or Jeremy Kerley for one of top three wide receiver spots, there’s a good chance that Rogers could push for the fourth wide receiver position.

If Rogers were to win the number four spot, he could actually see quite a bit of time on the field. Rogers plays well from the slot and with his extremely reliable hands he could be an intriguing option for the Jets in third down situations.

Training camp is just now getting underway and there’s four pre-season games that have to be played, so while there’s a long way to go for Rogers he’s managed to put himself in a good situation to not only make the team, but possibly be a solid contributor as well.

For more on former Vols in the NFL, make sure to follow along on Twitter @ZachAFT and @AllforTennessee