Taking Flight: Part Two: Grading the Rest of the Class

Jachai Polite. Don Juan Moore/Getty Images.

After my exclusive post on the Jets first round pick, Quinnen Williams-- which I usually do for the first round pick or picks, if there's two or more-- here's my take and recap on the rest of the Jets 2019 draft class.

Third Round: Jachai Polite, DE/OLB, Florida

The edge rusher position was addressed with one of their two third round picks with the selection of Jachai Polite. To me, the Jets got a steal with this pick. He's explosive getting up the field, he uses his hands very well, and using subtle dip moves to evade double blocks, and is also able of doing some two-gapping, which is rare for a player his size. He has a non-stop motor and is willing track down the ball carrier to make the play. To me, he has some traits similar to Quinnen Williams, except Polite is smaller.

The seemingly downside I keep hearing about him is "character issues" and "maturity." I'm looking more into this, but from what I've seen so far, it seems to me that this character issue thing is overblown. I've seen him over pursue on some plays, and I didn't see him drop in coverage that often, which could've been based on his role in the defense.

Update: From my understanding, his "lack of maturity" is based on his poor combine results. Due to apparent weight gain, which caused him to run a slower 40 time, which can turn off a lot of coaches and scouts. There was an issue with the Green Bay Packers staff, where he was asked to explain what happened on some bad plays he made. I'm not sure what his answers were, but apparently it didn't bode too well for him.

I can understand where this can be a cause for concern, but at the same time, these mistakes can be easily corrected. People are acting as if he shot or molested somebody. From what I can see so far, I was correct, somewhat. To an extent, these issues they're bringing up are overblown. Granted, you want to be mindful of these matters because small things can lead to bigger things, but again, with self-discipline and wisdom on Polite's part, this can be corrected.

Third Round: Chuma Edoga, OT, USC

Sam Darnold (14), Chuma Edoga (70). Circa 2017. Courtesy of  newyorkjets.com

This pick addressed another need in terms of helping protect Sam Darnold. Speaking of Sam, Chuma was a teammate of his at USC, so there's familiarity there. Aside from that, from my understanding, he's athletic and agile for a guy his size, has good footwork, versatile and he's more of a run than pass blocker.

Scouts and experts were concerned about him being slightly "short" for an OT (He's nearly 6-4), but that's the least of my concerns. Like Polite, he has also been said to have maturity issues; also like Polite, so far, I've only found one thing from his collegiate career that stands out, which was violating team rules/policies, but nothing specific. I'm still looking into it. It has also been said that he can get lackadaisical and not finish blocks. If that's accurate, that definitely bothers me.

All in all, I'm fine with the pick. It seems that he has a lot of upside, just a bit raw, and his shortcomings on the field can be coached. His familiarity with Darnold might give him an edge and have him among the starting lineman come Week One.

Fourth Round: Trevon Wesco, TE, West Virginia

Temitayo Adesokan/The Daily Athenaeum.

This one was a head-scratcher. Nothing against the young man personally, I've heard they found a gem in him, but I thought they could've drafted a cornerback here. He was used primarily as a blocking tight end, but his role was expanded a bit in the second half of the season in the passing game. He can line up inline as a tight end or in the back field as an H-Back.

Trevon looks like he could be a sneaky good addition to the Jets offense. A perfect complement to a faster, more athletic Chris Herndon. The only issues I have with this pick is there are a bunch of tight ends on the roster already, and on top of that, they already have a player like Trevon in Eric Tomlinson. They basically just drafted Eric Tomlinson.

Fifth Round: Blake Cashman, ILB, Minnesota

Blake Cashman (36).

Another head-scratcher. but not as much as the aforementioned. The only things I see sensible about this pick is depth behind linebackers CJ Mosley and Avery Williamson, and an immediate contributor on special teams.

They have also made it clear that they're done with Darron Lee-- who I thought would get traded at some point during the draft. Aside from that, although he's not that big or fast, he has been said to have a tenacious motor and is a sure, willing tackler. At Minnesota (University) he was a walk-on and eventually earned his way to a starting spot his senior year. Can he do the same in New York?

Blake seems to be an underdog story who seems to be the type that's not physically gifted such as great speed or athleticism, but he more than compensates for that by being a hard worker.

Sixth Round: Blessaun Austin, CB, Rutgers

Blessuan Austin. Photo Credit: Chris Pedota/The Record.

With their final pick of the draft they finally addressed the corner position, drafting Blessuan Austin. From what I've gathered, he's a capable cover corner with decent size, but he's injury prone, suffering two torn ACLs the past two seasons. I'm interested to see how he fares. If his knee(s) hold up, he might be a hidden gem as well.

Overall, I thought the Jets did well with this draft, but it could've been better. I love the Williams and Polite picks; I'm good with Edoga; the Wesco and Cashman-- particularly Wesco-- picks were questionable. I'm glad they addressed the cornerback spot with Austin, but I thought they should've addressed it sooner (with the fourth round pick) than later (with the sixth round pick). The selections of Williams, Polite and Edoga earned them an A; the grade starts dwindling from the 4th-6th rounds.

Overall Grade: B

Taking Flight: The Jets Draft Quinnen Williams

Quinnen Williams. Photo Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports.

On Thursday night, with the third overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, the New York Jets drafted defensive lineman Quinnen Williams from Alabama. Quinnen was ranked as one of the top prospects in the draft; he was the top prospect on some draft boards. From what I've watched, heard and read about him, I understand why he was considered a top three player prior to the draft.

Actually, it was a picture I saw that Leonard and Quinnen Williams took recently, which I will post at the end of this blog, that convinced me the Jets was going to pick him. Unless he was taken with the first or second pick, I had no doubt who the Jets would draft after seeing that picture.

He can play multiple positions on the interior, including nose tackle, which is amazing for a guy who weighs around 303 pounds-- an ideal nose guard is usually about 320 and above. As someone suggested, he could slide over to the nose position on passing downs, which is typically third down.

I won't say that I didn't want him, but prior to the draft, my sights was set on an edge rusher, which the Jets needed, but can still address later. This initially had me focused on two particular players-- then eventually one of them-- Josh Allen and Nick Bigot-- I mean-- Bosa. By the time the draft came around, my thoughts were although I'd prefer Allen, whose coverage skills I liked as well from what I saw, I would be good with them drafting Williams.

Speaking of Bosa, on a side note, I give a shout out to the San Francisco 49ers for drafting that cunt. I wanted to write a post on my thoughts of Bosa on my social commentary blog; even though the situation that I'm referring to is kind of old news, but since I've mentioned him, I'll go ahead and briefly speak on it. Look, whether I agree or disagree with someone, I acknowledge people are entitled to their opinion, but some things is some sucker sh*t, and that crap he posted a while back is an example of that. He may turn out to be a flop, pretty good, solid, or even become a Hall of Famer, I don't care. I'm just glad that bastard is not going to wear Gotham Green.

Anyway, although Quinnen is not the edge rusher I was looking for, he provides versatility as a pass rusher and being disruptive against run, and as he mentioned, it's the defensive lineman who set up the linebackers to make plays. A lot of people have compared him to Aaron Donald, but from what I've gathered, I also see Jay Ratliff.

Ratliff was a quick, undersized nose tackle who could dominate the line scrimmage and effectively rush the passer, which is rare (the pass rushing) for a guy playing that position. Personally, I want to see Quinnen blaze his own trail, but those comparisons tells you a lot about what this young man is capable of.

Overall, I love the pick. I love the explosive quickness and agility he has for a defensive lineman, the ability to shred double-- and at times-- triple teams, and his versatility. He's considered a rare player by some, and I can see why. I'm looking forward to seeing him, Leonard"Big Cat" Williams, and Henry Anderson wreaking havoc on the line this year, and many years to come.

Leonard Williams (left), Quinnen Williams (right)

Grade: A+

New York Fashion: Gang Green Unveil Their New Uniforms

Photo courtesy of newyorkjets.com

After the supposedly leaked picture the other day, the New York Jets officially unveil their new uniforms, which moved me to write this impromptu blog. Of course, everyone is a critic; there are jabs being taken by some for the design, most notable for me was Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, who in a tweet referred to them as "trash," and saying they look like the high school uniforms in Road to Glory.

While I thought it was funny-- kind of-- I don't totally agree. They don't look half-bad to me. Granted, nothing to write home about, but I definitely don't think they're "trash," either. To sum it up, to me, they look like an upgraded version of the early 90s uniforms during the Bruce Coslet era.

The previous uniform grew on me; granted, those weren't fashion runway worthy either, but they just seem to fit them. Then again, perhaps it was time for a change, I mean, four losing seasons in the last five years. Perhaps a change in uniform along with a change of locker room culture will lead to not only a winning team, but a winning culture (i.e. a dynasty).