What was the thinking back in the 2017 draft?

[bonkertons]

For the life of me I can't remember.  I remember Fitz was the QB prior to that draft.  Obviously not the long-term answer.  Looking back at the 2017 team, Josh McCown played most of the snaps.  Obviously he was never going to be a long-term answer either.

 

Does anyone remember the feeling around draft time 2017?  Was QB just never on our radar?  We ended up taking Jamal Adams 6th overall, and Patrick Mahomes ended up going 10th and Deshaun Watson went 12th.

 

Looking back I can't complain with the Jamal pick, considering what we got for him and the outlook of the team right now, but QB was definitely a need back then and the thought of Mahomes on this team is......well, it hurts to even think about.  It would have changed a bunch of things going forward, most obviously we don't draft Sam the next year, we stay put in the 1st and keep all those 2nd rounders, and probably invest heavy in the OL starting in 2018.  Who knows how things go after that, or who our HC ends up being, etc.

 

I try not to get hung up on "if we only drafted this guy" talk, but looking back it's crazy to think we decided a safety - as hyped as Adams was - was more important to take at 6th overall than our potential franchise QB....unless we just weren't high on those guys at the time....which is another example of this team's history of incompetence.  

[Hex]

There’s a reason Macc was fired

[the Claw]

It was Mac. These questions will hurt your brain. Don’t concern yourself with it and move forward with your life. Those years are gone forever.

[Anthony Jet]

7 minutes ago, bonkertons said:

For the life of me I can't remember.  I remember Fitz was the QB prior to that draft.  Obviously not the long-term answer.  Looking back at the 2017 team, Josh McCown played most of the snaps.  Obviously he was never going to be a long-term answer either.

 

Does anyone remember the feeling around draft time 2017?  Was QB just never on our radar?  We ended up taking Jamal Adams 6th overall, and Patrick Mahomes ended up going 10th and Deshaun Watson went 12th.

 

Looking back I can't complain with the Jamal pick, considering what we got for him and the outlook of the team right now, but QB was definitely a need back then and the thought of Mahomes on this team is......well, it hurts to even think about.  It would have changed a bunch of things going forward, most obviously we don't draft Sam the next year, we stay put in the 1st and keep all those 2nd rounders, and probably invest heavy in the OL starting in 2018.  Who knows how things go after that, or who our HC ends up being, etc.

 

I try not to get hung up on "if we only drafted this guy" talk, but looking back it's crazy to think we decided a safety - as hyped as Adams was - was more important to take at 6th overall than our potential franchise QB....unless we just weren't high on those guys at the time....which is another example of this team's history of incompetence.  

Pretty sure the reason being tossed around is Hackenburg was picked in the 2nd round the year before. Whether that’s true or not I have no idea 

[LockeJET]

This is what people need to understand - Jets would’ve ruined Mahomes. 

[slimjasi]

The reason QB wasn’t seriously on the radar is because we had wasted a second round pick on Hack a year earlier. It was classic jets bad timing combined with having an awful GM. 

[Matt39]

Had to take the best player in the draft or something

[bonkertons]

8 minutes ago, Anthony Jet said:

Pretty sure the reason being tossed around is Hackenburg was picked in the 2nd round the year before. Whether that’s true or not I have no idea 

Ah yes, Hackenburg....honestly completely forgot about him.  What's weird is, if that's true and that's the reason why we thought QB wasn't a need yet, he must have looked biblically bad in TC that year considering I don't even think he dressed in the 2017 season.  From what I can see it was McCown and Petty(unless they still thought Petty could be the guy?).

 

....but yeah that at least makes more sense.  Even if they knew they ****ed up the Hack pick that early, they probably thought the optics of taking a QB that soon would look pretty terrible.  Probably just crossed their fingers that Mahomes and Watson would bust....and in typical Jets fashion, they both became stars.  One of which looks like a future first ballot HOFer.  

[jetspenguin]

5 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

Had to take the best player in the draft or something

We took the best player in the nation. 

 

[Bugg]

Fitzmagic was not a good reason to not take either Watson or Mahomes. Was complete malfeasance. And taking a safety that high when you consider the 2nd contract dilemma for a nonpremium position makes it insanely stupid. 

Will always remember Bowles smiling ear to ear, blasted fool; safeties!

[56mehl56]

5 minutes ago, Bugg said:

Fitzmagic was not a good reason to not take either Watson or Mahomes. Was complete malfeasance. And taking a safety that high when you consider the 2nd contract dilemma for a nonpremium position makes it insanely stupid. 

Will always remember Bowles smiling ear to ear, blasted fool; safeties!

It would be analagous to rolling forward with MW in 2023 because he had those Bengals and Bears games spaced a year apart. 

[freestater]

This is the kind of idiotic outcome you get when a bad GM is trying to polish the turd he made a mistake taking. See: Joe Douglas/ current situation 

[Leftylarry]

37 minutes ago, bonkertons said:

For the life of me I can't remember.  I remember Fitz was the QB prior to that draft.  Obviously not the long-term answer.  Looking back at the 2017 team, Josh McCown played most of the snaps.  Obviously he was never going to be a long-term answer either.

 

Does anyone remember the feeling around draft time 2017?  Was QB just never on our radar?  We ended up taking Jamal Adams 6th overall, and Patrick Mahomes ended up going 10th and Deshaun Watson went 12th.

 

Looking back I can't complain with the Jamal pick, considering what we got for him and the outlook of the team right now, but QB was definitely a need back then and the thought of Mahomes on this team is......well, it hurts to even think about.  It would have changed a bunch of things going forward, most obviously we don't draft Sam the next year, we stay put in the 1st and keep all those 2nd rounders, and probably invest heavy in the OL starting in 2018.  Who knows how things go after that, or who our HC ends up being, etc.

 

I try not to get hung up on "if we only drafted this guy" talk, but looking back it's crazy to think we decided a safety - as hyped as Adams was - was more important to take at 6th overall than our potential franchise QB....unless we just weren't high on those guys at the time....which is another example of this team's history of incompetence.  

Build an organization, coaching staff , deep roster and the Franchise QB falls into place , either through draft, trade, free agency or somebody you didn’t think was very good, suddenly becoming very good when he is surrounded by success.

[rangerous]

38 minutes ago, bonkertons said:

For the life of me I can't remember.  I remember Fitz was the QB prior to that draft.  Obviously not the long-term answer.  Looking back at the 2017 team, Josh McCown played most of the snaps.  Obviously he was never going to be a long-term answer either.

 

Does anyone remember the feeling around draft time 2017?  Was QB just never on our radar?  We ended up taking Jamal Adams 6th overall, and Patrick Mahomes ended up going 10th and Deshaun Watson went 12th.

 

Looking back I can't complain with the Jamal pick, considering what we got for him and the outlook of the team right now, but QB was definitely a need back then and the thought of Mahomes on this team is......well, it hurts to even think about.  It would have changed a bunch of things going forward, most obviously we don't draft Sam the next year, we stay put in the 1st and keep all those 2nd rounders, and probably invest heavy in the OL starting in 2018.  Who knows how things go after that, or who our HC ends up being, etc.

 

I try not to get hung up on "if we only drafted this guy" talk, but looking back it's crazy to think we decided a safety - as hyped as Adams was - was more important to take at 6th overall than our potential franchise QB....unless we just weren't high on those guys at the time....which is another example of this team's history of incompetence.  

Mac couldn’t find a dt so he settled on adams.

[SomebodytoAnybody47]

Pretty sure they felt they took a QB the year before in Hackenberg and wanted to give him a chance. And at the time the team was desperate for a "Leader of Men". 

[Sonny Werblin]

29 minutes ago, Matt39 said:

Had to take the best player in the draft or something

And A DT was not available?

[shuler82]

Crazy as it seems,  Mahomes was a late riser and was still thought to go mid 1st round. Watson in most mocks was going in the 20s.  The draft wasn't thought to have top end QB talent, and the Jets had a guy they overdrafted in 2016 waiting in the wings.

Adams was being mocked as high as #2 or #3 overall. So of course Mac was grabbing him when he fell to #6. And of course he doubled up at safety in round 2.

 

[Beerfish]

The feeling?  They drafted Chrisian Hackenburg in the 2nd round the previous year to be their franchise QB.  That is reason the jets were not actively going after a QB in that draft.

[jamesr]

It's interesting reading the analysis of teams that took guys mid draft last year (Willis, Ridder, etc). None of the analysts are saying QB is not a need because they "need to see what they have" in the guys they picked. If you can pick a better guy this year - do it, don't worry about the sunk cost from last year. Best case you have a solid backup / guy you can trade further down the line.

[Maxman]

Just now, jamesr said:

It's interesting reading the analysis of teams that took guys mid draft last year (Willis, Ridder, etc). None of the analysts are saying QB is not a need because they "need to see what they have" in the guys they picked. If you can pick a better guy this year - do it, don't worry about the sunk cost from last year. Best case you have a solid backup / guy you can trade further down the line.

The case really could be made that every team should be taking a QB every year. Lightning in a bottle. If you land one and have one, trade trade trade.

[ScarletKnight89]

Mahomes stock was rising late. Felt like he kinda came out of nowhere at the time. I remember hearing mixed opinions of Watson as far as how he would translate to the NFL. If I remember correctly , the Trubisky pick kinda came out of nowhere cause the Bears had just signed Mike Glennon to like a 3 or 4 year contract.

I think it's interesting to note that neither Mahomes or Watson played right away. 

I always thought the Jets were going safety at 6 and they did. Macc believed in Hackenberg lol

[Barkus]

Mac was convinced hackenberg could be developed. There were concerns about mahomes mechanics and not playing in a pro-system. There were questions about Watson’s arm strength translating to the NFL game.

[August]

Without the benefit of hindsight none of the QB’s in that draft were considered a slam dunk can’t miss prospect. They needed to land in the right situation for their development. Mitchell Trubisky was considered a reach that high in the draft. Watson was the most pro ready but there were questions about whether he would translate to the league, and Mahomes was a project with a ton of flaws in his game. 
 

At the time I wanted the Jets to resign Geno and let him Petty and Hackenberg compete for the job. 

 

[GreenFish]

Big Mac mostly focused on selecting those players highest on his draft board. He didn't involve the coaches. It’s basically a fantasy football type of draft.

So the logic was Jamal etc were highest on his board.

[Warfish]

3 hours ago, bonkertons said:

For the life of me I can't remember.  I remember Fitz was the QB prior to that draft.  Obviously not the long-term answer.  Looking back at the 2017 team, Josh McCown played most of the snaps.  Obviously he was never going to be a long-term answer either.

 

Does anyone remember the feeling around draft time 2017?  Was QB just never on our radar?  We ended up taking Jamal Adams 6th overall, and Patrick Mahomes ended up going 10th and Deshaun Watson went 12th.

 

Looking back I can't complain with the Jamal pick, considering what we got for him and the outlook of the team right now, but QB was definitely a need back then and the thought of Mahomes on this team is......well, it hurts to even think about.  It would have changed a bunch of things going forward, most obviously we don't draft Sam the next year, we stay put in the 1st and keep all those 2nd rounders, and probably invest heavy in the OL starting in 2018.  Who knows how things go after that, or who our HC ends up being, etc.

 

I try not to get hung up on "if we only drafted this guy" talk, but looking back it's crazy to think we decided a safety - as hyped as Adams was - was more important to take at 6th overall than our potential franchise QB....unless we just weren't high on those guys at the time....which is another example of this team's history of incompetence.  

Best as I recall, the GM (and many fans) were all in on the 2018 QB Draft Class, in the belief that it was a 1983 or 2004 type draft class.

Some of us were screaming for a QB that year ( I was a Watson guy myself).  Some here wanted Mahommes.

But most, I think, were perfectly happy to look to 2018 for a QB.  People forget hoe ultra-hyped that draft class was, and the "Suck for Sam" threads constantly being created, lol.

This view also explains why the Jets GM spent so much draft capital to move up to get Sam that draft.

[K_O_Brien]

The Jets thinking back then, was to wait until 2018 before addressing the QB position. That year's class was flagged up, well in advance as being potentially elite. We may even have identified Darnold as our number 1 choice by this point. 

^ What Warfish said. 

[JoeNamathsFurCoat]

The idiot GM wanted to give Hindenberg another year to “blossom” 

[bonkertons]

1 hour ago, Warfish said:

Best as I recall, the GM (and many fans) were all in on the 2018 QB Draft Class, in the belief that it was a 1983 or 2004 type draft class.

Some of us were screaming for a QB that year ( I was a Watson guy myself).  Some here wanted Mahommes.

But most, I think, were perfectly happy to look to 2018 for a QB.  People forget hoe ultra-hyped that draft class was, and the "Suck for Sam" threads constantly being created, lol.

This view also explains why the Jets GM spent so much draft capital to move up to get Sam that draft.

Funny, that's kind of my thinking right now.  Go with a short-term vet, give Zach one more year - hopefully with an actual QB coach brought in - and take the QB in 2024 if it's still a need.  Maybe that means we should draft a QB this year....

 

..and yeah, don't get me wrong, I was pumped as hell when we drafted Darnold.  I thought he was "the guy".  I just don't remember the whole "let's wait til next year" mindset back in 2017.  Then again I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning so it's always possible I just blacked it out.  

[Warfish]

10 minutes ago, bonkertons said:

Funny, that's kind of my thinking right now.  Go with a short-term vet, give Zach one more year - hopefully with an actual QB coach brought in - and take the QB in 2024 if it's still a need.  Maybe that means we should draft a QB this year....

 

..and yeah, don't get me wrong, I was pumped as hell when we drafted Darnold.  I thought he was "the guy".  I just don't remember the whole "let's wait til next year" mindset back in 2017.  Then again I can't remember what I had for breakfast this morning so it's always possible I just blacked it out.  

JMO, but I prefer a non-draft solution to QB at this time.

We've looked to solve QB with the draft for almost two decades now.

-Pennington (2000), 1st round
-Clemens (2006), 2nd Round
-Sanchez (2009), 1st Round
-Smith (2013), 2nd Round
-Hackenberg (2016), 2nd Round
-Darnold (2018), 1st Round
-Wilson (2021), 1st Round

And several later round guys too, Bollinger, 2003, 6th, Smith, 2006 4th, Ainge, 2008, 5th, McElroy, 2011, 7th, Boyd, 2014 6th, Morgan, 2020, 4th.

That's 13 QB's in 22 years.  Not a single real "hit" in the group, with the best one (Chad) 22 years ago.

I think at this point, I'd prefer my "All in on Kirk Cousins" idea, find the best possible, available, affordable Veteran QB with an actual resume of at least mid-level QB play for several years, and sign that guy.

A mid-level QB, and we're a playoff team in 2022.  No, maybe not a Super Bowl favorite, but at this point of our franchise history, we need to get to "makes the playoffs several seasons, preferably in a row" before we'll ever get to Super Bowl favorite.

So a Carr might work.  Maybe.  

And then behind him you retain Wilson (not my preference) or White (meh) as backup, cut Streveler or retain as a pure RB, and draft a mid-round developmental QB to be the #3, someone with a huge college resume at the highest levels (i.e. not BYU ffs) but with perhaps less-than-perfect RAS scores.  Big, tall, slow and produced in the SEC works for me, even if he fails all the RAS criteria the draftnicks love.

JMO of course.  I wish Cousins was available again, frankly, he'd still be a great option here.

[slimjasi]

2 minutes ago, Warfish said:

JMO, but I prefer a non-draft solution to QB at this time.

We've looked to solve QB with the draft for almost two decades now.

-Pennington (2000), 1st round
-Clemens (2006), 2nd Round
-Sanchez (2009), 1st Round
-Smith (2013), 2nd Round
-Hackenberg (2016), 2nd Round
-Darnold (2018), 1st Round
-Wilson (2021), 1st Round

And several later round guys too.

Not a single real "hit" in the group, with the best one (Chad) 22 years ago.

I think at this point, I'd prefer my "All in on Kirk Cousins" idea, find the best possible, available, affordable Veteran QB with an actual resume of at least mid-level QB play for several years, and sign that guy.

A mid-level QB, and we're a playoff team in 2022.  No, maybe not a Super Bowl favorite, but at this point of our franchise history, we need to get to "makes the playoffs several seasons, preferably in a row" before we'll ever get to Super Bowl favorite.

So a Carr might work.  Maybe.  

And then behind him you retain Wilson (not my preference) or White (meh) as backup, cut Streveler or retain as a pure RB, and draft a mid-round developmental QB to be the #3, someone with a huge college resume at the highest levels (i.e. not BYU ffs) but with perhaps less-than-perfect RAS scores.  Big, tall, slow and produced in the SEC works for me, even if he fails all the RAS criteria the draftnicks love.

JMO of course.  I wish Cousins was available again, frankly, he'd still be a great option here.

Agree with all of this and I actually think this is what Douglas will do. I do expect Wilson to be kept, as I have felt since his last benching.

[Untouchable]

I didn’t want any of the QB’s because I knew the Jets would suck in 2017 and that Darnold and Rosen were coming out the following year.

I wanted either Fournette or Jamal.

What an assh0le

[varjet]

The Jets almost made the playoffs in 2015, and I think Bowles, Mac and Woody thought that the Jets could still compete.  The defense was an issue and we needed a S who could make an impact/cover the TE/RB.

Mahomes was viewed as a prospect not really for the pro game (like Wilson), and people did not think that Watson's arm could hold up in the East Rutherford, etc.

Hackenberg was picked and he was the prototype NE QB that could slip right in at good value.

I remember being very plugged in on that pick and actually thought that Adams was the right one.   For what it is worth, both of Mahomes/Watson's success was somewhat of a surprise and a result of the new NFL rules, ways of thinking, etc.  

In retrospect, it was pretty terrible.

FWIW, for a team like the Jets that needs a starting QB, most NFL starting QBs were actually passed over by the Jets.   Several of them were actually Jets.  

[Adoni Beast]

Given who our GM was, I don’t think there was much thinking at all.

[Sperm Edwards]

My recollection is this was to be an important step in a major culture change in the organization. 

But no one bothered to ask the GM if he felt Hackenberg's problems in practice were cultural lol.

https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/jets-mike-maccagnan-strike-gold-jamal-adams-no-6-pick-article-1.3110644

"We knew he was an Alpha dog coming in," Bowles said. "(That's) a culture we're trying to create. I think he's great. He's going to help us a great deal."

[Greensleeves]

5 hours ago, bonkertons said:

For the life of me I can't remember.  I remember Fitz was the QB prior to that draft.  Obviously not the long-term answer.  Looking back at the 2017 team, Josh McCown played most of the snaps.  Obviously he was never going to be a long-term answer either.

 

Does anyone remember the feeling around draft time 2017?  Was QB just never on our radar?  We ended up taking Jamal Adams 6th overall, and Patrick Mahomes ended up going 10th and Deshaun Watson went 12th.

 

Looking back I can't complain with the Jamal pick, considering what we got for him and the outlook of the team right now, but QB was definitely a need back then and the thought of Mahomes on this team is......well, it hurts to even think about.  It would have changed a bunch of things going forward, most obviously we don't draft Sam the next year, we stay put in the 1st and keep all those 2nd rounders, and probably invest heavy in the OL starting in 2018.  Who knows how things go after that, or who our HC ends up being, etc.

 

I try not to get hung up on "if we only drafted this guy" talk, but looking back it's crazy to think we decided a safety - as hyped as Adams was - was more important to take at 6th overall than our potential franchise QB....unless we just weren't high on those guys at the time....which is another example of this team's history of incompetence.  

I think the main reason was that the Jets were totally enamored with the QB class the following year - which was supposed to be one of the best ever. ?  Mahomes was considered a huge talent but a boom or bust type of player and without proper coaching he could have been a bust. Watson was the head scratcher. He won in college against great competition and showed a lot of mental toughness. A lot of people on this board wanted him but draft pundits weren't so sure if he would be a franchise QB. Not many teams seemed like they HAD to draft either of those guys, it wasn't just us.