The New York Jets were right to avoid a quarterback in the NFL draft.
Make no mistake, the New York Jets have become better known for their draft mistakes than for their great picks. We could start listing them, but that could take up an entire article on its own. Nobody wants to talk about a Jets list that includes Vernon Gholston. Just saying the name doesn't make Jets fans feel very well.
Entering the 2017 draft, there wasn't much consensus on what the Jets would do. The current regime likes to keep things quiet, so it was hard to tell. Whenever they were asked about the quarterback position, they were very cryptic with their answers, being careful not to give anything up. The only feeling that was widely held was that the position is a mess, and that a legitimate quarterback competition needs to happen at training camp.
Well the draft has come and gone, and the Jets did not choose a quarterback. Many were surprised, and NFL.com's Chad Reuter reduced his grade for the team because they didn't select one. He also noted that they didn't address the offensive line, which is a mistake we can agree on. However, not addressing the quarterback position was smart. In this particular draft class, it was the absolute right thing to do.
Looking at the top of the draft, the Jets would have been in an impossible position if they had taken one there. At No. 6, you don't choose a developmental quarterback. At No. 6, a quarterback chosen has to start Day 1. You are investing a lot in someone you believe is your "franchise quarterback." That person must get the ball in Week 1, otherwise you have spent a lot of money for a player to sit on the bench.
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You have to be convinced you have the guy. Otherwise, do not pull the trigger. The Jets had every quarterback available to them not named Mitchell Trubisky, and they decided to go with a safety. They believed that their future franchise quarterback was not in this group. They moved on. That is the correct thing to do.
By the way, with all due respect to the Chicago Bears, nobody at the top of the quarterback class jumps out as a future star, not even Mitchell Trubisky. After signing Mike Glennon to a big contract, their thinking here was hard to follow. That's for a different article, though.
Secondly, drafting a quarterback high would have proven something to everyone. It would have proven that they botched their choices in the last two drafts. In case anyone forgot, Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are still on the roster. They haven't exactly gotten a lot of time to show what they can do. If they had brought in a Deshaun Watson, for example, with the sixth pick, it would have been his team. We would never know what those two guys could do, despite the fact it would have been sold as an open competition.
Leaving the situation alone allows us to learn. What if Hackenberg has corrected all of his problems from last season? He could turn into the guy. He certainly has a big arm. A lot of people write off Bryce Petty, but I'm not willing to after just half of a season with an offensive line playing poorly. There are young players here; let's see if they have a future before we go sweeping them away like water running into a New York City sewer. They have waited, they deserve better. Now they will get it.
Now, could they have taken a developmental prospect on Day 3? Sure. Nathan Peterman was available until Round 5, for example. I had written a profile of him, suggesting that he would be a good choice. But not choosing one also makes sense. You have two developmental quarterbacks in the room already. If you keep bringing others in, they will never be fairly evaluated. There are only so many snaps to go around.
We haven't seen a lot of discipline from the general manager position over the years in New York. Isn't it a nice change? Mike Maccagnan showed remarkable restraint with this decision, and he should be applauded for it. And even if it all doesn't work out, the 2018 class of signal-callers is billed by many as loaded. Thus, any failure in 2017 from Hackenberg and Petty will reap rewards at the top of the 2018 draft.
