KJ Duff pushing to be rare Rutgers first-round NFL pick and erase last season’s ‘bad taste’

Like many college juniors, KJ Duff looks back and can’t believe how skinny he was when he first showed up at Rutgers. 

But Duff’s body transformation isn’t the product of late-night food deliveries and partying. He became a self-disciplined, 6-foot-6, 225-pound beast of a receiver by committing to the weight room, monitoring what goes into his body and journaling his every move on certain days. 

“My receivers coach [Dave Brock] says, ‘If you are big, play big. If you are fast, play fast. If you are both, God bless you,’ ” Duff told The Post. “I like to think I’m both. A strong suit of my game is using my body to put myself in the best position, and you have to have that mentality that, ‘It’s mine.’ Any route can be drawn on paper, but when the ball is in the air and it’s you and the DB, you have to out-will him.” 

No one in college football made more contested catches (22) last season than Duff, who is considered a first- or second-round prospect by scouts for multiple NFL organizations contacted by The Post. 

A new season begins at 6 p.m. Thursday against UMass (0-12 last season) in Piscataway. 

“The way he works is different: You are very fortunate when your best player is your hardest worker, and that is definitely the case,” head coach Greg Schiano said. “If you go to your [NFL] owner with that kid, you can’t go wrong for every reason.” 

Rutgers made a seven-figure NIL commitment to keep Duff — who was offered bigger payments to transfer — after his breakthrough 1,084-yard season. The budget wasn’t big enough to keep Duff and his St. Anthony’s (Long Island) and college teammate Ian Strong, another NFL prospect who transferred to California. 

“It was important for me to leave a legacy and finish what I started,” Duff said. “With the landscape of college football, there were definitely opportunities. But I decided what was most important to me … was playing for the coaches that believed in me from the start.” 

Rutgers hasn’t produced a first-round pick since Anthony Davis and Devin McCourty in 2010, but has a history of sending Day 2 receivers to the NFL. 

“He’s the real deal,” one NFC scout said. “There is a lot to like in terms of size, athleticism, ball skills and body control. Just smooth. If he has a season similar to last year, I can see him becoming a starter in the NFL.” 

If Rutgers is going to get back to a bowl after letting a bid slip away in the regular-season finale loss to Penn State last season, the offense — particularly Duff and 1,200-yard rusher Antwan Raymond — is going to have to lead the way. 

“It feels great to be noticed in that light, but that’s down the road,” Duff said. “Winning is on the front of my mind. Coming off a disappointing season, it leaves a bad taste in your mouth all offseason. The attitude around the building is, ‘All we want to do is win. You can’t wait until Sept. 3 to write a new story.’ ” 

QB competition 

Boston College transfer Dylan Lonergan beat out two-year backup AJ Surace in a battle that was neck and neck deep into the summer. Lonergan will face his old team Sept. 11. 

The last time Schiano was in a quarterback spot this tight was 2005, when senior Ryan Hart and redshirt freshman Mike Teel shared the job and led Rutgers to its first bowl bid since 1978. 

Lonergan-Surace is not a situation in which complementary styles create different packages. 

“They both are very high-aptitude guys, very focused guys, similar arm strength and love football,” Schiano said. “You are not going to defend us differently depending on who the quarterback is.” 

Key stretch 

The best-case scenario could be 3-2 and coming off a bye for back-to-back road games at Maryland (Oct. 17) and Northwestern (Oct. 24). Any path to the postseason includes at least 1-1 (2-0 would make it much easier) in that span. In the preseason 18-team Big Ten media poll, Northwestern is No. 14, Maryland is No. 15 and Rutgers is No. 17. No. 16 Michigan State is the regular-season finale. 

Number to know 

43 

Rutgers’ 43-game losing streak against ranked opponents dates to a Nov. 12, 2009, win against No. 23 South Florida. It is the longest streak among Power Five programs, covers four coaching regimes (including Schiano twice) and includes an average margin of defeat of 29.2 points. Four opponents are ranked in the preseason Top 25 (No. 14 USC, No. 6 Indiana, No. 16 Michigan and No. 18 Penn State). 

X factor 

The defensive-minded Schiano went outside his tree to hire South Dakota head coach Travis Johansen as defensive coordinator and play-caller after an “excruciating” prolonged search. The result is expected to be a mix of what Rutgers defense has looked like under Schiano, along with Johansen’s tweaks. 

“We were disappointingly poor, and I’ve never experienced anything like that,” Schiano said. “We got the right coach. He’s organized, tough, focused on fundamentals and a connector with a player and the staff.” 

Rutgers returns just three defensive starters (DL Zaire Angoy, S Kaj Sanders, LB Abram Wright), but that’s not a bad thing after allowing 432.8 yards and 31.8 points per game. 

“I didn’t think I did a good enough job last year in the transfer portal era really getting to know the new players and getting the new players and our existing players to connect,” Schiano said. “Not only from a friendship [perspective], but what are they good at?”