New York Jets' Rookie Minicamp Day 2 Quotes

Draft picks Zaire Barnes, Jarrick Bernard-Converse and Zack Kuntz all spoke in Florham Park

James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports

The second wave of 2023 draft picks stepped to the podium on Saturday at New York Jets' rookie minicamp.

After Gang Green's first-four selections spoke to reporters on Friday, linebacker Zaire Barnes, defensive back Jarrick Bernard-Converse and tight end Zack Kuntz all met the media on Day 2.

The 6-foot-1 Barnes, who brings 4.56 (40-yard dash) speed to the linebacking corps, comes to the Jets after back-to-back All-MAC honors at Western Michigan. 

The well-traveled Bernard-Converse brings position versatility to Robert Saleh's defense, having played multiple spots at both Oklahoma State and LSU. 

The 6-foot-7 Kuntz, who has elite raw physical traits, has fully recovered from the injury that cost him most of the 2022 season at Old Dominion.

ROBERT SALEH (Head Coach)

"You’re just trying to get them acclimated, one to the conditioning, so they’re not falling out so early and subjecting themselves to injury, but at the same time, there’s the meal plans, the nutritionist, the strength coach, the regen, all the different things that will get thrown at them, along with the playbook. It can get overwhelming."

"All that youth creates depth and that creates competition. The greatest form of motivating as a coach is competition. So, it all helps. To add the veterans, to add all the experience that we’ve been able to add this offseason, like I said, there’s really good balance here."

53 - ZAIRE BARNES (Round 6, No. 184 overall)

"When I was at Western [Michigan], I did a lot of special teams, so I can just get the feel of the game and the speed. It also impacted me greatly on just being a defensive player, knowing how to go take on tackles at such a high speed and just being the aggressor in different type of situations. It definitely impacted a lot. The love I have for special teams is definitely something that has grown because of playing that at Western."

"Taking everything I learned this week and perfecting it. Staying in shape, for sure. Getting a lot of conditioning in, wrapping my mindset around just getting ready to play some football for awhile."

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29 - JARRICK BERNARD-CONVERSE (Round 6, No. 204 overall)

"It's been quite an experience, just getting out here, finally being able to say I practiced as a pro. I think it’s a pretty good culture here, it’s a lot of good players and it’s a lot of positivity going around."

"We ran more of a pro style defense at LSU, so I feel like that can help me learn the game faster and translate over quicker. We [LSU] call ourselves DBU for a reason."

"Right now, it’s safety, but I feel like I’m just gonna play wherever they [the coaches] see fit."

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81 - ZACK KUNTZ (Round 7, No. 220 overall)

"I wouldn’t say I surprised myself, but, you know, a little pat on the back for some of those things [at the NFL Combine]. The model of training that we kinda did is you have your peak – your runs, your jumps, things like that – during that week. It's not like you're setting a personal record every single time you're doing it during training."

"My go-to [self comparison] is usually saying Mike Gesicki. I’m familiar with him, obviously, through the roots at Penn State -- similar coaches that we’ve had, similar offenses that we’ve been in. It’s an easier comparison for me. Obviously, he’s an athletic freak as everybody knows, so there’s certainly traits of his game that I’d love to say that I kind of exhibit in mine."

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