“But our focus is really on the draft and the player we picked,” Maccagnan told reporters shortly after the Jets selected Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee 20th overall in the first round of the National Football League draft.
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With Fitzpatrick still unsigned, New York’s quarterback depth chart sans Hackenberg features 2013 second-round pick Geno Smith and 2015 fourth-round pick Bryce Petty.
It’s probably an overstatement to say it will define his tenure as general manager – after all, it’s only a second-round pick we’re talking about – but it’s an investment that could elevate the Jets or set them back two or three years.
“What intrigued us the most about him from a scouting standpoint is he’s a younger player who’s very athletic”, Maccagnan said of the 21-year-old Lee, who was a redshirt sophomore last season.
“I’m still learning linebacker”, Lee said, “It will be three years [that] I’ve been playing the position. That’s not what we’re looking for”, Bowles said. Lee should step right in next to David Harris who had 108 tackles a year ago and 4.5 sacks.
Bowles also said it’s not necessary to have Fitzpatrick back until training camp, and that there’s no sense of urgency to get him into the facility. “He runs sideline to sideline”.
Breaking down Darron Lee’s selection by the New York Jets in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft. That is something that the Jets’ Linebackers have not been able to do in the past few years.
“Yeah, I think that’s awesome, ” Hackenberg said during a conference call.
When asked about concerns with his size at the Combine, Lee responded, “I can play at that weight”. Wilkerson was slapped with the franchise tag in March but doesn’t seem long for the green-and-white after making it clear he’s unhappy with the team’s apparent disinterest in extending him long-term.
“My mom came running out with the phone”, he said. “You need a bunch of faster guys”.
Hackenberg has a ton of upside, but still needs some work.
Lee was a quarterback, wide receiver, safety and return specialist at New Albany High School in OH, and was also a track star. He won defensive MVP in the 2014 Sugar Bowl against Alabama on the Buckeye’s route to a national championship.
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Even if Ryan Fitzpatrick is brought back, NY doesn’t have a young quarterback who can match the talent level of Lynch.
