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