Jachai Polite’s NFL career isn’t off to a great start. But after dropping all the way to the third round, Polite appears ready to turn over a new leaf.
Many believed Polite possessed first-round ability, but poor combine numbers and questions about his character and immaturity forced him down the board before the Jets drafted him 68th overall. But soon after the Jets used their third-round pick on the Florida edge rusher, Polite admitted to his shortcomings.
“I’ve accepted all of my flaws and I’m working on it this offseason,” Polite said, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini. “I have a lot of people to prove wrong,”
Polite didn’t take too kindly to criticism during his interviews with teams during the NFL combine, leading many to view him more as a problem than a solution to their defense. He publically called out teams who questioned his work ethic and skill after a few bad games and some believed a hamstring injury that forced him to miss the rest of the combine was fabricated after he posted a slow 40-time and looked overweight. One scout even told Cimini that Polite didn’t have “issues,” but that he himself was “an issue.”
It appears as though all of the negativity surrounding Polite has humbled him a bit. Now a New York Jet, Polite recognized he’ll be under an even bigger microscope, and he’s ready to show everyone how he wracked up 11 sacks, 19.5 tackles for a loss and six forced fumbles at Florida in 2018.
