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New York Jets: 4 Takeaways from 2017 NFL Draft

By Stephen Smith

Apr 28, 2017; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets first round draft pick Jamal Adams during a press conference at the Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2017; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets first round draft pick Jamal Adams during a press conference at the Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /
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Apr 28, 2017; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets first round draft pick Jamal Adams during a press conference at the Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports
Apr 28, 2017; Florham Park, NJ, USA; New York Jets first round draft pick Jamal Adams during a press conference at the Atlantic Health Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports /

The New York Jets had nine picks in the 2017 NFL Draft. Now that the dust has settled, here are four takeaways from their draft.

The 2017 NFL Draft is in the books and the New York Jets are assessing how much they improved their roster. General manager Mike Maccagnan was quite busy — Trader Mike made six trades during the draft and New York ended up with nine selections in all, including four in the sixth round.

For a team with so many holes, stockpiling picks is a good idea but did Maccagnan get good value by trading down and acquiring more picks? Time will certainly tell but the Jets did pick up an extra fifth round selection in 2018 from the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for the 191st overall pick. Maccagnan continues to build for the future and that makes sense considering the Jets are in full rebuilding mode. Not much is expected of them in 2017 and that’s fine — for now. Jet fans will only be patient for so long.

Here are four takeaways from Gang Green’s 2017 draft:

Dec 31, 2016; Orlando , FL, USA; LSU Tigers safety Jamal Adams (33) against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 31, 2016; Orlando , FL, USA; LSU Tigers safety Jamal Adams (33) against the Louisville Cardinals during the first half at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

1. Safety overload?

The Jets used their first two picks on safeties — Jamal Adams of LSU with the sixth overall selection and Florida’s Marcus Maye in the second round (39th overall). At first glance, you might think this is excessive, going with back-to-back safeties. But when you think about it more deeply it makes a great deal of sense.

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Jets fans can become nauseous recalling how bad their secondary play was in 2016.  New York allowed 30 touchdown passes and an opposing quarterback rating of 98.5, which ranked 30th in the NFL. That is totally unacceptable. Starting safeties Calvin Pryor and Marcus Gilchrist had very poor seasons so it was time to reload. Immediately.

Adams is considered one of the best players in the entire draft. Not only is he strong in pass coverage, but he is a superior tackler, can play both safety positions and best of all, Adams is a tremendous leader. He has a non-stop motor and could be a Pro Bowl player right away. He’s that good.

Maye (6-0, 210 pounds) can play both free and strong safety and is another strong tackler (210 in his three seasons with the Gators). He added seven forced fumbles and five interceptions at Florida and is known as a ball hawk with good range in tracking the football. Maye broke his left arm and missed the final four games of his senior season but he has been medically cleared and should be ready to participate in training camp.

The Jets had to do something big to improve the back end of their secondary. They did just that with the selections of Adams and Maye, two players that can be stalwarts for many years to come.

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