Once again, it's come to this.
For yet another year, the Jets are in desperate need of a new face for their franchise. And it's anyone's guess if drafting a neophyte quarterback this week will make all the difference in Woody Johnson's world.
The Jets already have three quarterbacks on their roster: the experienced-but-limited Josh McCown, the strong-armed but inexperienced Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg, who spent more time standing around last season than he did actually throwing a football.
For all of McCown's shortcomings on the field, the Jets felt comfortable giving him $6 million for one year largely because of one key character trait: his sterling reputation in the quarterback room. Few veterans possess enough self-confidence and selflessness to ensure that their understudies are developing at the right pace while learning what it takes to be a professional both on and off the field. And it's clear that Hackenberg has a lot of maturing to do as an NFL quarterback.
The former Penn State quarterback remains an enigma after redshirting his rookie year. "There's a lot of talent there," former offensive coordinator Chan Gailey said in December. "The sky's the limit. We don't know yet."
But despite so much uncertainty, indications are that third-year general manager Mike Maccagnan still is very high on Hackenberg and that the Jets are hopeful that, with some tutelage from McCown, 37, the youngster eventually will take the reins of the offense.
But that won't preclude the Jets from drafting a new guy in a few days _ if they think he's worth it. And Mitch Trubisky has the NFL all abuzz.
Despite being a starter for only one season, the former North Carolina quarterback solidified himself as the top prospect in recent months. Most mock drafts now have him going in the Top 10 to a team such as the Jets, Bills, 49ers or Browns.
Though this year's quarterback draft class doesn't feature a sure thing like Andrew Luck, teams nonetheless are impressed by the talented crop of prospects with the potential to be something special. That includes Texas Tech's Patrick Mahomes and Clemson's Deshaun Watson, a two-time Heisman Trophy finalist who led the Tigers to their first national championship in more than 30 years.
NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock said on a Friday conference call with reporters that Trubisky "might be the most ready-to-play quarterback in this class," but he currently has Watson rated as his No. 1 quarterback prospect.
"I think he plays his best football when the lights are brightest," Mayock said of Watson. "I love the kid's attitude, his leadership and the way his teammates respond to him.
"What I don't like is 17 interceptions on a national championship team."
Watson threw 30 picks in his last 30 games.
"Throws way too many interceptions," Mayock said, "and he's also going to have to deal with the whole spread quarterback conversion to a pocket NFL quarterback. That's a big challenge."
ESPN NFL analyst Jon Gruden, however, isn't as alarmed by that stat. "A number of those interceptions aren't his fault at all," he said on a Wednesday conference call. "Some of them are correctable. He'll fix those."
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper believes Watson should go to the Jets _ early in the second round. "I'm not projecting picks based on what I'm hearing around the league," he wrote of his latest three-round mock draft. "This is me making 107 picks ... based on what's best for each team at that slot."
