PFF's Draft Grades

[Green Jets & Ham]

1 (3) Sam Darnold, QB, USC, 83.6
3 (72) Nathan Shepherd, DI, Fort Hays State, n/a
4 (107) Christopher Herndon IV, TE, Miami (Fla.), 81.8
6 (179) Parry Nickerson, CB, Tulane, 85.1
6 (180) Folorunso Fatukasi, Edge, Connecticut, 83.2
6 (204) Trenton Cannon, RB, Virginia State, n/a

Day 1: The Jets should be ecstatic that Darnold was still on the board at No. 3 overall. Our No. 2 player on the PFF Draft Board, Darnold has shown exceptional high-end play, throwing with the accuracy and anticipation desired from an NFL quarterback. He has two strong years of grading under his belt, and while last year was not as good as anticipated, Darnold was still the No. 3-graded quarterback in the nation outside of his four poor games. He must cut back on the bad decisions and fumbles that marred that four-game stretch, as he finished with the fifth-highest percentage of turnover-worthy plays in the draft class last season, but it’s the big-time throws that make him a potentially special prospect as he ranked second. Darnold has shown well in crunch time, whether at the end of the half or with the game on the line, and his ability to make plays both inside and outside the pocket will lead to memorable moments for Jets fans.

Day 2: With only a third-round selection on Day 2, the Jets add athletic defensive lineman Nathan Shepherd to the mix, a small-school player who looked strong during his limited reps at the Senior Bowl. He has outstanding size and athleticism, and he could develop into a good all-around player given his measurables.

Day 3: Christopher Herndon showed strong big-play ability last season, forcing nine missed tackles on only 40 receptions and averaging 9.3 yards after the catch per reception. Parry Nickerson could become a steal in the sixth round as he has three outstanding years of production to go with 4.32 speed. He allowed a passer rating of only 41.7 in 2017 and 32.5 when targeted in 2016. Folorunso Fatukasi is an outstanding run defender, grading between 82.8 and 86.1 in all four years at UConn, though he provided little as a pass-rusher, including a 3.1 pass-rush productivity last year that ranked 131stin the draft class.

Jets Overal Grade: ELITE

 

[Jet Fan RI]

Well, one problem with this analysis is they said the Jets gave away their 2019 1st round pick in moving up to #3. Someone should let them know it was only the 2019 2nd round pick. https://www.profootballfocus.com/new...jets-breakdown

 

[SackExchange]

But what do they know? They only graded the Patriots' draft as Above Average. From what I saw on other sites, the Pats had the best draft of anyone in the league. I saw them get A's.

It's good to see a site actually rank honestly, rather than with the typical bias.

 

[jetgreen13]

way i see it & I mean this sincerely..

the only thing needed from this draft is darnold becomes the guy..

if any of the stocking stuffers turns out to be legitimate NFL players?? even batter!!

 

[SackExchange]

way i see it & I mean this sincerely..

the only thing needed from this draft is darnold becomes the guy..

if any of the stocking stuffers turns out to be legitimate NFL players?? even batter!!

This, exactly.

 

[hobson54]

way i see it & I mean this sincerely..

the only thing needed from this draft is darnold becomes the guy..

if any of the stocking stuffers turns out to be legitimate NFL players?? even batter!!

i don't necessarily agree with this take.

obviously if darnold becomes a FQB, this draft will be remembered for landing him. but to win a SB, you need a full roster. so we need these "stocking stuffers" or at least some of them, to turn into useful players, if not stars. think of all the years the colts did nothing with peyton manning because of the lack of talent on the roster. even the greatest of QBs needs players around him to win.

so yes, we need darnold to be the guy. but we can't just idly throw away other picks and just hope for a player or two to maybe be useful.

now i won't pretend that i heard of a single one of these guys before the draft, so i can't offer my opinion. it's encouraging a site like PFF loved the draft. but i disagree with the thought that all that matters is darnold.

 

[SackExchange]

i don't necessarily agree with this take.

obviously if darnold becomes a FQB, this draft will be remembered for landing him. but to win a SB, you need a full roster. so we need these "stocking stuffers" or at least some of them, to turn into useful players, if not stars. think of all the years the colts did nothing with peyton manning because of the lack of talent on the roster. even the greatest of QBs needs players around him to win.

so yes, we need darnold to be the guy. but we can't just idly throw away other picks and just hope for a player or two to maybe be useful.

now i won't pretend that i heard of a single one of these guys before the draft, so i can't offer my opinion. it's encouraging a site like PFF loved the draft. but i disagree with the thought that all that matters is darnold.

But you have to consider that when you deal aggressively to land that FQB, it will deteriorate some of the rest of the draft. That position has been such a thorn in the side of this franchise that landing it finally will allow future drafts to focus more on other positions of need.

 

[hobson54]

But you have to consider that when you deal aggressively to land that FQB, it will deteriorate some of the rest of the draft. That position has been such a thorn in the side of this franchise that landing it finally will allow future drafts to focus more on other positions of need.

i understand we gave up two 2nds to be in position to draft darnold. so to that end, our draft class will reflect the lack of those picks.

i was talking more about the picks in rounds 3-7. we need some of those players to be meaningful contributors, if not more. if darnold is the only useful player in the class, then that will hurt, even if we get a FQB out of it.

 

[BlindsideD'Brick]

Darnold is the focus of this draft for sure. There is no question that his success or failure will determine the fate of the current regime and the trajectory of this team over the next 3-6 years.

With that said, I agree with Hobson that sooner or later this team needs to start finding more success with other draft picks outside the first round. Drafting Leonard Williams, Jamal Adams, and Sam Darnold are no-brainers. Those guys fell into Maccagnan’s lap, and he correctly seized on those opportunities. But if we’re gonna get to that upper echelon of teams in the NFL, the 3rd-7th rounders have got to “hit” more often.

 

[jetgreen13]

i don't necessarily agree with this take.

obviously if darnold becomes a FQB, this draft will be remembered for landing him. but to win a SB, you need a full roster. so we need these "stocking stuffers" or at least some of them, to turn into useful players, if not stars. think of all the years the colts did nothing with peyton manning because of the lack of talent on the roster. even the greatest of QBs needs players around him to win.

so yes, we need darnold to be the guy. but we can't just idly throw away other picks and just hope for a player or two to maybe be useful.

now i won't pretend that i heard of a single one of these guys before the draft, so i can't offer my opinion. it's encouraging a site like PFF loved the draft. but i disagree with the thought that all that matters is darnold.

we strongly disagree..

expecting to hit on obscure mid round to late round picks after trading two 2's in this draft seems unrealistic to me..

 

[Jet Fan RI]

But you have to consider that when you deal aggressively to land that FQB, it will deteriorate some of the rest of the draft. That position has been such a thorn in the side of this franchise that landing it finally will allow future drafts to focus more on other positions of need.

Unfortunately, at least one future draft was also affected by the acquisition of Darnold, as the Jets are missing next year's 2nd-round pick.

 

[BlindsideD'Brick]

we strongly disagree..

expecting to hit on obscure mid round to late round picks after trading two 2's in this draft seems unrealistic to me..

This makes zero sense. Why even draft players in the 3-7 rounds if they’re all “obscure” guys expected to fail?

 

[hobson54]

we strongly disagree..

expecting to hit on obscure mid round to late round picks after trading two 2's in this draft seems unrealistic to me..

i don't consider rounds 3, 4 and even 5 as a place to get obscure crapshots. it's a place the top teams build their rosters.

do you judge every jets draft based solely on rounds 1&2?

 

[hobson54]

rather than start a new thread, i'll put this here (under draft grades).

evan silva at rotoworld gave the jets an A-, the 2nd best grade in the league


http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/79600/174/2018-afc-draft-grades

http://www.rotoworld.com/articles/nfl/79568/174/2018-nfc-draft-grades?ls=roto:nfl:gnav

New York Jets

1. (3) USC QB Sam Darnold
3. (72) Fort Hays State DT Nathan Shepherd
4. (107) Miami TE Chris Herndon
6. (179) Tulane CB Parry Nickerson
6. (180) UConn DT Foley Fatukasi
6. (204) Virginia State RB Trenton Cannon

Overview: The Jets’ aggressive move to trade three second-round picks to climb just three spots in the draft paid off beautifully, landing top-rated quarterback Darnold after his surprising fall. Shepherd destroyed his D-IAA competition as an athletic space eater, but will be a rare 25-year-old rookie after bouncing around schools. On tape, Herndon reminded me of Charles Clay as an H-back/slot tight end. The Jets got a discount on Herndon because he tore his MCL in the Hurricanes’ regular season finale and could not test at full speed before the draft. Nickerson was one of the best later-round slot cornerback prospects in the draft with 4.32 speed, elite ball skills, and a 45% completion rate allowed when targeted over his final two seasons. As a wide body with plus length and size-adjusted athleticism, Fatukasi should have gone earlier. Cannon is a tiny (5’10/185) scatback without an NFL future. My favorite move of the Jets’ draft was their acquisition of stud DE Henry Anderson from the Colts for the No. 235 pick. When healthy, Anderson is one of the NFL’s best young 3-4 ends.

Grade: A-


(note you can click on each player's link for a small blurb)

 

[Old#15]

We were very thin on the DLine pre-draft. Our DLine needed an infusion of young talent and it appears that with Anderson at 25 (if healthy), Shepherd and Foley we may have a couple of nice young depth and developmental pieces. The Anderson trade has gotten very little buzz, but potentially is a very solid move for a 7th round pick. Having said that, I was a bit disappointed that we didn't come away with an OL piece or two. Seems like every year we go into the draft saying we need to re-stock some already pretty bare shelves on the OL. Every year we do very little to address the deficiency. With Darnold now on board, I'm hoping the philosophy changes.

 

[jetgreen13]

i don't consider rounds 3, 4 and even 5 as a place to get obscure crapshots. it's a place the top teams build their rosters.

do you judge every jets draft based solely on rounds 1&2?

...did i fall into the twilight zone??

 

[jetgreen13]

This makes zero sense. Why even draft players in the 3-7 rounds if they’re all “obscure” guys expected to fail?

what are you going on about??

If you can't get your head around what this draft was about i can't help you..

 

[SackExchange]

i understand we gave up two 2nds to be in position to draft darnold. so to that end, our draft class will reflect the lack of those picks.

i was talking more about the picks in rounds 3-7. we need some of those players to be meaningful contributors, if not more. if darnold is the only useful player in the class, then that will hurt, even if we get a FQB out of it.

How much can one expect when coming from picks that late? If the average is about 50% in the first round, and decreases significantly in the later rounds, it really is largely driven by luck.

 

[hobson54]

...did i fall into the twilight zone??

i don't know. did you or did you not say:

"we strongly disagree..

expecting to hit on obscure mid round to late round picks after trading two 2's in this draft seems unrealistic to me.."


can you explain what you meant by this and how my comment falls into the twilight zone?

we all recognize that darnold is the centerpiece of the draft, that doesn't render picks in the 3rd round and later as moot. what some, myself included, are saying is that the top teams use the "obscure mid to late round picks" (your words) to build their rosters.

 

[hobson54]

How much can one expect when coming from picks that late? If the average is about 50% in the first round, and decreases significantly in the later rounds, it really is largely driven by luck.

is it really luck? you don't think that teams that routinely find quality players in the mid-to-late rounds deserve credit for scouting and drafting these players?

i want the jets to build a strong roster top-to-bottom. that means having success in the mid-to-late part of the draft. i'd hope it was just more than lucking into players and that we have good scouts who can identify these players and a GM who can acquire them.