The Jets don’t want to place too much weight on Jachai Polite’s shoulders just yet.
New York’s third-round pick in this year’s draft comes with plenty of off-the-field concerns. However, the Jets saw his on-field production at Florida and felt he could make an impact on this team. While Polite didn’t do anything to shine during OTAs, the Jets don’t seem overly worried about his game.
“Well listen, he’s been running around in his pajamas now for [a few] weeks, so it’s too soon to tell,” outside linebackers coach Joe Vitt told the team website. “I mean he’s got a long way to go. But he’s got size, he’s got a good attitude. But he’s got to go through a training camp, and obviously the pads are going to define him when we put them on.”
You can’t judge Polite or frankly any player after OTAs or minicamp. As Vitt said, the pads are going to determine who he is as a player. But the raw talent is there for him and it’s just a matter of building on it at the NFL level.
Polite made a name for himself in his last season at Florida when he recorded a career-high 11 sacks. He also had 45 tackles and 19.5 for a loss. As for his character concerns, most of that occurred at the NFL combine. He didn’t do well in interviews with teams and quit on some drills after testing poorly.
The Jets are going to give Polite every chance to succeed. He’s in good hands with Vitt and Gregg Williams, but the Jets won’t know exactly what they have until the practices intensify.
