New York Jets biggest hole remaining is quarterback says Football Outsiders
The biggest hole remaining for the New York Jets according to Football Outsiders is at quarterback.
The New York Jets had a very strong 2017 NFL Draft. General manager Mike Maccagnan was wheeling and dealing throughout. He made five trades during the 2017 NFL Draft. The Jets ended up making nine selections and added a fifth round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.
The Jets were able to address multiple needs with their nine picks. Their first two picks addressed the safety spot. Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye should step in right away as the new safety pairing in the backend of the defense.
Their next two selections, in the third and fourth round, were at wide receiver. ArDarius Stewart and Chad Henson should have a chance to carve out a role right away. With Devin Smith re-tearing his ACL, there is an opening at wide receiver for the Jets. Right now, only Eric Decker, if he remains with the team, and Quincy Enunwa, are probably guaranteed playing time at receiver.
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In the fifth round, the Jets addressed another need offensively. They selected Clemson tight end, Jordan Leggett. Leggett has a chance to start from Day 1. With Austin Seferian-Jenkins suspended for the first two games of the season, Leggett has a chance to take over right away.
The Jets would add defensive end Dylan Donahue and running back Elijah McGuire next before selecting two cornerbacks; Michigan’s Jeremy Clark and Ole Miss’ Derrick Jones.
Out of nine selections, the Jets have at least two, and possibly five, players that will have big roles in 2017, possibly even as a starter. There are a few positions that are curiously missing. Arguably the two biggest needs, quarterback and offensive line, were not addressed in this year’s draft.
According to Football Outsiders, the biggest hole remaining for the Jets after the draft is at quarterback. Here is what they had to say about the quarterback spot for the Jets.
"Outside of the defensive front seven, the Jets are fairly weak everywhere, but quarterback presents the least hope. While some thought the team might sign veteran Jay Cutler or draft a quarterback high (again), the Jets are rolling with Josh McCown, Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg this year.If being terrible enough to earn the No. 1 pick in the draft is a goal, then McCown might be the right man for the job. He has recently helped Tampa Bay (2014) and Cleveland (2016) to the top pick in the draft, and his Browns finished No. 2 in draft position in 2015. Petty’s 19.4 QBR last season was the lowest among any quarterback with at least 75 action plays. Our QBASE projection system for college quarterbacks has Hackenberg as one of the worst prospects since 1996. So the Jets may already be in the lead in the race for USC’s Sam Darnold in the 2018 draft."
The quarterback spot was the biggest need for the Jets heading into the 2017 NFL Draft. It remains a need after the draft, and probably for the better. Finding a quarterback is imperative to a team’s success. But the Jets made the right decision to not reach for one.
This year’s quarterback class seemed pretty underwhelming. The Jets reportedly liked Mitchell Trubisky a lot, but the Chicago Bears traded up to the second spot to select him. While adding a quarterback would have been nice, the Jets already have two developmental prospects on the roster. Adding another would have made little sense.
Next: New York Jets: 2017 NFL Draft Grades
As Football Outsiders points out, next year’s quarterback draft class has the potential to be loaded. The Jets played it right waiting at least one more year to find their franchise quarterback. Many fans will be disappointed they didn’t address the position this year, but it was the right move by the Jets to see what their younger players have along with Josh McCown.