Jets left tackle Kelvin Beachum said recently that the team won’t know what it has in quarterback Sam Darnold until the third overall pick in this year’s draft takes a big hit and that hit won’t come during the team’s organized team activities this month.
With or without full contact, the practices will give the Jets an extended chance to see Darnold on the practice field with veteran players for the first time since drafting him. That will provide information about how Darnold is running the huddle and grasping the offensive playbook as well as how he fares against experienced defensive backs trying to stop him from completing passes.
As recounted by Albert Breer of SI.com in a lengthy look at the Darnold pursuit, the Jets didn’t expect to have Darnold fall to them -- “You have a horseshoe up your a--,” Jets vice president of player personnel Brian Heimerdinger said to General Manager Mike Maccagnan -- and CEO Christopher Johnson has made it clear that the expectations are high now that he did.
Whether that leads to a quick rise up the depth chart remains to be seen. The Jets don’t have big questions about Josh McCown after he spent 2017 as their starter, so the focus in OTAs is likely to be on figuring out the plan for Darnold as his rookie season unfolds.