When a team is selecting in the third round of the NFL draft, it’s going to draft players with warts. They might be undersized, a little slower than a first-rounder, or maybe they come from a smaller program and haven’t been showcased much.
Or maybe they have questionable character issues and display signs of immaturity or a motor that never reaches a fifth gear. This is where a team will take a chance on a player and hope for the best, which is what the Jets are doing with Jachai Polite, the outside linebacker from Florida.
As much as selecting Alabama defensive tackle Quinnen Williams with the third overall pick was a non-brainer during the first-round Thursday night, the Jets selection of Polite with the 68th choice in Friday’s third round was a head scratcher.
It’s not a good thing when a major concern is whether the player you just drafted will take his job seriously and show up on time. It’s also not a good thing when a player you just drafted admits to “being immature” during the draft process and “regrets” saying some of things he said.
“This has been a long learning experience,” Polite said after his selection. “I’m ready to go to work and get coaching and then we’ll see.”
Look, it’s easy to rush to judgement during the draft. What we know about these young men is confined to a few lines in a scouting book and whether or not they had a good weekend at the scouting combine in Indianapolis.
What we know is Polite, who grew up in Daytona Beach, Fla., had first-round production last year with the Gators. He compiled 11 sacks in 2018 along with 17.5 tackles for losses. He forced six fumbles. But he also had the combine from hell, running a slow 4.84 40-yard dash and accused teams of “bashing me” after they interviewed him.
Polite says he regrets that now, and the best the Jets can hope for is the 21-year-old is sincere and will work to become a dedicated professional. His potential was apparently too good to pass up.
If the Jets are going to become a division champion and playoff contender, they have to eventually find a way to beat Tom Brady and the Patriots. And the first step is developing a better pass rush. That’s why you can’t argue with Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan taking defensive players with his first two selections in the draft, even if Polite comes with character questions.
Williams figures to be a dominating force up the middle. If Polite develops into a pass rusher off the edge, the Jets figure to have a much improved defense in 2019.
Take note: The Jets aren’t the only ones with that thinking. After the Jets selected Williams with the third pick overall, the Bills took DT Ed Oliver from Houston with the ninth selection and the Dolphins landed DT Christian Wilkins from Clemson with the 13th choice.
Maybe it was just a coincidence that each time an AFC East team came up, a defensive tackle happened to be the best player on the board. Or maybe it was an approach influenced by the hope of building a pass rush that can make the Super Bowl-winning quarterback uncomfortable.
Brady was sacked just 21 times during the regular season of a year that ended with his 16th division title and sixth Super Bowl trophy. With the Jets, Bills and Dolphins all featuring first-round draft picks on the defensive line, it will create a matchup of their young legs against Brady’s experience.
Polite joins a Jets defense that already features Quinnen Williams, Leonard Williams, Henry Anderson, Steve McLendon and Nathan Shepard. If Quinnen Williams and Polite develop into impact players, it will make life easier for Leonard Williams and more miserable to quarterbacks like Brady. But that’s only if Polite can show up on time and take his job seriously.
