How Mike Maccagnan ruined the 2017 NFL Draft for the New York Jets
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Double dipping.
Disgusting. When you see this happen anywhere, you cringe in horror. And this is exactly what general manager Mike Maccagnan did to the New York Jets in the 2017 NFL Draft. How could he even think of committing this atrocity?
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New York Jets | Draft |
| Source: www.newyorkjets.com/Draft/2017draft.html | |
Quarterback.
Cornerback.
Safety.
Offensive line.
These were the needs that Gang Green had to address in the 2017 NFL Draft. And yet Mike Maccagnan went off course and did not do the Jets any favors. Where did he go wrong?
Safety first, not second
After 5 teams passed on safety Jamal Adams from Louisiana, Maccagnan selected him with the 6th overall pick in the draft. Arguably one of the two best players in the draft along with defensive end Myles Garrett from Texas A & M, it was a no brainer to pick Adams when he fell on the laps of New York.
Then came the 2nd round.
Owning the 7th pick in the 2nd round, Maccagnan chose … another safety?!! What was that? He had already picked 1 safety in the first round, so why did he get another one in the 2nd round? There was no point in selecting safety Marcus Maye from Florida with the 39th overall pick when the position of need was already filled in the previous round. Maye was not even the highest rated prospect at the time when it was the Jets turn to choose at 39th overall in the 2nd round. There were better college players available at that slot such as running back Dalvin Cook from Florida State, who went to the Minnesota Vikings 2 picks later. Now that was a position that New York needed to fill, with Matt Forte declining with age and Bilal Powell uncertain to succeed as the featured back. If nothing else, Cook would have added depth to the Jets RB roster and stepped in if either Forte or Powell struggled during the season.
How else did Mike Maccagnan wreck the 2017 NFL Draft for Gang Green?
Besides not selecting the best player available in the 2nd round, he neglected to address key needs for the team. After releasing center Nick Mangold and tackle Breno Giacomini, the offensive line was missing two-fifths of its players. As we all know, the quarterback is the most important position on a team and the O-line need to protect the franchise player. There were quality guards, tackles and centers still available in 2nd round and yet Maccagnan did not draft any of these prospects. In fact, he didn’t even select a trench player in the entire draft. Now the Jets will have to get by with scrappy O-line men leftover this late in free agency, which are most likely trash players released from other teams.
Backed into a Corner
To add salt to the wound, this GM forgot to draft another position for New York. With Darrelle Revis getting waived by Gang Green, there was a major hole at cornerback. Round by round slipped by until Maccagnan finally drafted a CB in the 6th round.
And what players did he select?
More question marks.
A guy who missed games in 2016 with a torn ACL injury (Jeremy Clark from Michigan) and Derrick Jones from Ole Miss, a person who was a former wide receiver and has recently started playing the cornerback position. Most likely these 2 rookies will fail to make the team as all late rounders do every year in the NFL, leaving the Jets back to square one: no new cornerbacks to add depth to the roster. If Maccagnan had drafted CBs that were more talented that were available in the earlier rounds, New York would have injected new blood into the team. As the roster is structured now, the current CBs on the team are Morris Claiborne, Buster Skrine, Marcus Williams and Juston Burris. All of these defensive backs have issues, whether they are coming back from an injury or their horrible play at the position have demoted them from being a starter. Fresh cornerbacks would have pushed the incumbents and battled for a starting job. With these 4 same players returning from the 2016 season, nothing will improve from the pass defense giving up yards, deep plays and touchdowns to opposing receivers; the status quo will not have changed.
As a general manager in the NFL, Mike Maccagnan did not do his job for the Jets in the 2017 NFL Draft. Whether it was selecting the same position twice in consecutive rounds, not picking the best available player at the time or neglecting to draft an obvious need for the team, he failed to improve the roster. Because of an awful disservice Maccagnan did on draft day, Gang Green enters the 2017 season with the same subpar talent on offense, defense and special teams. Not to mention that there are still holes on this team that have not been addressed. This is what happens when a GM messes up the NFL Draft for a franchise.
