MAC’S PICKS
GM has Jets on right path, but his drafts have been subpar and that must change
Jets GM still has to improve on his drafting, which has been subpar
Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has made some shrewd decisions during his fouryear tenure, but it’s impossible to ignore a troubling reality that has come into focus: By every objective measure, his drafts have been subpar.
Woody Johnson hired Maccagnan for his scouting acumen, but Gang Green’s three drafts from 2015-2017 haven’t been pretty.
Maccagnan might cut eight draft picks this weekend before NFL rosters have to be trimmed from 90 to 53 by 4 p.m. on Saturday. JETS CUT-DOWN DAY TRACKER: RUNNING LIST OF GANG GREEN’S FINAL ROSTER CUTS
Maccagnan has drafted 22 players, excluding the sixman draft class this year. Four of them (Devin Smith, Bryce Petty, Jarvis Harrison and Christian Hackenberg) are already gone.
If the Jets are running a meritocracy, then the following draft picks could be cut: OLB Lorenzo Mauldin (2015 third-rounder), NT Deon Simon (2015 seventh-rounder), CB Justin Burris (2016 fourthrounder), WR Charone Peake (2016 seventh-rounder), WR Chad Hansen (2017 fourthrounder), OLB Dylan Donahue (2017 fifth-rounder) and CB Jeremy Clark (2017 seventh-rounder).
A fair case can be made to cut or keep 2017 seventh-round cornerback Derrick Jones, who has made solid strides this summer.
Maccagnan has some flexibility with 2017 third-round WR ArDarius Stewart, who won’t count against the initial 53-man roster since he’ll be suspended for the first two games of the regular season after violating the NFL’s PEDs policy. Regardless, Stewart hasn’t done enough to warrant a spot on the 53 after he returns from suspension. Maccagnan can kick that can down the road for a few more weeks.
There are folks on One Jets Drive ticked off that Donahue, who pleaded guilty to two DUIs this summer, is still on the roster. His off-field transgressions are still under league review, but he’ll obviously be suspended for several games this season. Regardless, my understanding is that he’s not expected to be on the 53man roster this season.
Think about this: There is a solid chance that 50 percent of Maccagnan’s draft picks from 2015-2017 will be gone by this weekend. It’s even possible that 13 of his 22 draft picks (59 percent) will no longer be on the roster. That is startling. Maccagnan & Co. absolutely deserve credit for drafting Leonard Williams and Jamal Adams despite the perception that they were nobrainer decisions after the talented players dropped to No.
6 in 2015 and 2017, respectively. The Jets also deserve credit for taking Marcus Maye in the second round.
But let's take a closer look at how Rounds 2-4 went in those three drafts. Seven of the nine players drafted in Rounds 2, 3 and 4 have been nonfactors. In fact, there's a good chance that six of those nine won't be on the roster by the end of the weekend (with Stewart getting spared due to his two-game suspension). Only Maye and 2016 third-rounder Jordan Jenkins are starters among that group.
That simply isn't good enough if the Jets truly want to build through the draft.
Seven of Maccagnan's 22 drafted players from 2015-2017 are starters. One of them is a punter. Maccagnan has unearthed only two starters after the third round: 2016 fifth-rounder Brandon Shell and, yes, a punter (2016 seventh-rounder Lac Edwards).
Meanwhile, Maccagnan hasn't solved three critical areas of need via the draft: Edge pass rusher, offensive line and punt returner.
Mauldin has been a massive disappointment in the team's greatest defensive area of need. Maccagnan curiously has only invested two picks (both fifth-rounders) in offensive linemen in four drafts (28 total picks). Only Shell remains on the roster.
The punt returner dilemma drags on after Maccagnan believed that a sixth-round pick this year with no prior punt returning experience would solve the problem. It predictably didn't.
Scouting and drafting are inexact sciences. For all the rightful criticism heaped on Maccagnan for making a historic blunder (see: Hackenberg), he might be remembered as the guy who drafted a savior (see: Sam Darnold).
The Jets might be headed in the right direction thanks to a newfound aggressiveness this year, but the entire operation will stall if Maccagnan doesn't improve in the area that was supposed to be his strength.
The GM often shares his vision of building a winning foundation through the draft. It's a smart philosophy. But sooner or later, you actually have to draft better players… or that vision will never become a reality.