Jerry Kapp hopes to catch attention of NFL scouts, make boyhood dream reality
Jerry Kapp quickly caught the eye of teammates during practices leading up to Tropical Bowl X last week in Orlando, Fla. Once the game was underway he caught the attention of everyone at Camping World Stadium after making a one-handed catch for a 26-yard gain and a pair of special teams tackles.
“I would make a play (in practice) and guys would ask me where I was from,” said Kapp, one of the most productive receivers in Kutztown University history. “I would say you don’t even know. For the most part, no one’s ever heard of Kutztown before.”
Pro scouts and anyone who follows the NFL closely knows about the Golden Bears. All you have to do is mention the name of Andre Reed, who went from obscure small-school player to fourth-round draft pick to four Super Bowls to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Scouts know Kapp’s name, too, after outstanding performances against top college talent in the FCS Bowl at Daytona, Fla., in December and now the Tropical Bowl, where he was selected Special Teams MVP.
Kapp’s had a dream of playing pro football ever since he was a little kid. That dream got a boost by what he did after sharing the field with players from Power Five conferences.
“It boosted my confidence to another level,” said Kapp, an All-State defensive back at Boyertown and two-year starting receiver at Kutztown, “just being able to go out there and prove that I can play with these guys and be just like them.
“I had guys coming up to me saying they respected my game. It made me want to work even harder because I want more people to know who I am and hopefully make this thing work.”
Kapp graduated summa cum laude with degree in sport management in May and played his final season with KU last fall. Now he’s training daily as he waits for an opportunity to show his talent at a Pro Day later this winter.
The 6-3, 210-pound receiver made a career-high 47 catches for 916 yards and nine TDs last season. He led the Pennsylvania Conference in yards per catch (19.5) and was named to the PSAC East first team for the second time. He finished third in program history in receiving yards (2,190) and fourth in touchdown catches (22).
The grad student was also named an Academic All-American for the first time and a PSAC Scholar Athlete for the fourth time.
He was one of just four PSAC players selected for the Tropical Bowl (along with running back and teammate Jeremiah Nelson). He was an underdog, sharing receiver reps with players from Auburn, Houston and Oregon State. He used that to his advantage.
“I definitely still had a chip on my shoulder,” Kapp said. “I was trying to hold my own and prove that I can play at a level with these guys, and I think I did that. I earned the respect of a lot of these guys who didn’t know who I was before the game.”
Kapp, ever humble, went into the game looking to learn from other top players and improve his game.
“I go in there knowing that I’m not a finished product, (and) excited I’m not a finished product,” he told John Vogel on the NFL Draft Blitz podcast. “We had some of the best receivers across the country. Being able to see them work in a one-on-one setting was just filling my memory banks with things I can bring back to my training.
“I know I can be a better player, and I’m continuing to evolve my game, and if I keep doing that I’ll become a better player. I was able to pull a little things from other people’s games that I see myself doing, I just have to work a little bit at it.”
Kapp considers the opportunity to break into pro football a blessing — and a surprise. He always figured basketball was his avenue.
He comes from a basketball family. His father, Jerry, was a top player at King’s College and played for the Washington Generals (foils for the Harlem Globetrotters). Older sister Abby was a two-time all-Patriot League pick at Bucknell who led Boyertown to a PIAA championship in 2017. Brother Jake is Boyertown’s leading scorer this season, averaging 19.3 points.
Jerry was great shooter; his 221 3-pointers are third-most in county history. He was Berks’ leading scorer as a junior, when he averaged 22.5 points (four more than Lonnie Walker IV).
College basketball coaches weren’t interested in his game, but football coaches were. They saw his athleticism and versatility — he played both quarterback and wide receiver for the Bears — and thought he could be an impact player.
Kapp earned a partial scholarship to play at Seton Hill but broke his foot during training camp and never felt comfortable there. He transferred to Kutztown after one semester, and his game bloomed.
His experience as a quarterback helped him gain a better understanding of the full offense, which helped him excel as a college receiver. So, too, did his height, long arms and ability to track a football and make mid-route adjustments.
His basketball experience, he said, helped him learn to high-point the ball on receptions.
“If the ball’s in the air,” he told Vogel, “I look at it as a rebound.”
His main focus right now is on improving his speed and and explosion so that he can better separate from defensive backs.
If he has a chance to make it onto a pro roster he knows it’ll come as a special teams player. That’s why his performance in the Tropical Bowl was so critical. He made a pair of tackles inside the 10 covering kickoffs.
Playing special teams in college helped him learn how to evade blocks and find open gaps in order to get to the ball.
“I’m a realistic,” Kapp said of his pro ambitions. “Right now I’m training to be a special teams player and a receiver, not as a receiver and backup special teams player. I know (special teams is) the foot in the door, then you just build off of that.”
