New York Jets: Experts jump the gun with rookie class grade

A “C” grade is clear evidence that the experts have jumped the gun in grading the New York Jets 2017 rookie class.

There is no time better than the offseason to start looking back on what was. Especially since we haven’t talked about the playoffs in a long time, a favorite pastime of us New York Jets fans is to look back at the past and pine for the future. Our past hasn’t been so good, we have to look ahead, at least after we are done complaining, right? We wouldn’t be Jets fans without “the process”.

One place to start is with last year’s rookie class. That must be done with care, however, since it has only been one year. It’s hard to make blanket statements about a draft class following their rookie year; typically the time allowed before grading is four years. It can be done if the amount of time is taken into account.

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With that in mind, Jeremy Bergman and Nick Shook wrote an article where they looked back at the 2017 draft classes. The idea was to determine the best classes and the most underwhelming.

For example, the New Orleans Saints received an A+ grade. Look at what they had to say about the Jets:

"For the amount of picks spent, this draft didn’t yield much in Year 1 beyond Adams (and Maye, which incensed Jets fans were quick to point out this week). The playmaking safety stepped into a leadership role rather quickly, but he also took lumps typical of a rookie seeing a starting role immediately. New York whiffed on both receivers, and Leggett didn’t play a game, ending the season on IR. Silver lining from this class: McGuire contributed in the running and passing games. As is the case for many young, inexperienced and talent-thin teams, these guys could see jumps in performance in Years 2 and 3. As of now, though, this draft didn’t bring much quality to Gotham. GRADE: C-"

There is nothing blatantly false in this narrative, but that doesn’t make it a good evaluation.

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It’s easy to give the Saints an A+ when Alvin Kimara was on the roster. It doesn’t take a lot to realize that was a good selection. The author had nothing to say about Marcus Maye, who some say might have even been a hair better than Adams last season. Also, to say the receivers are misses isn’t fair considering they didn’t play at all. When they did play, they made catches. They were productive with limited reps.

If you are going to grade a draft class after one year, fine. But take the one year into account and grade accordingly. Otherwise, it’s simply too early.

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