Rookie outside linebacker Jachai Polite will begin his Jets career with a clean slate.
Polite has never been involved in any legal trouble in his life, but he’s had to overcome some maturity issues following a disappointing appearance at the NFL combine. When meeting with teams, Polite didn’t like that they were calling out parts his game and he also told teams that he doesn’t re-watch his own film. However, Adam Gase doesn’t seem to care about that stuff.
‘”A fresh start,” Gase told the media about Polite at the start of rookie orientation. “What happened in the past is irrelevant to me.”
Not only did Polite have some off-the-field issues, but he didn’t test that well at the combine which sparked some red flags. He ran a 4.84-second 40-yard dash, which was well short of what was expected given that he is 6-foot-3 and 258 pounds.
Despite that, his stats did show that he was worthy of being a high pick and the Jets decided to take a chance on him. In Polite’s junior season, he had 11 total sacks to go along with six forced fumbles. It’s safe to say he has a knack for finding the football.
Polite’s leash can’t be too long given. With Gregg Williams being his defensive coordinator, Polite is going to have to deal with the criticism. Williams isn’t a soft coach and is going to let you know when you make a mistake. For now, Polite will get every opportunity to be an impactful player on this team.
