The long shadow of the draft: What is best for today may not be what’s best for tomorrow

In 2000, the New York Jets selected Quarterback Chad Pennington out of Marshall with the 18th overall pick in the first round. While Pennington was taken high, he was not expected to start out of the gate and did not do so until his third year in the league. Notably, he only began starting this early because starting Quarterback Vinny Testaverde suffered an injury.

The idea of a first round pick, nonetheless a quarterback sitting for over two years before significant snaps is unheard of in the modern day. Indeed, a quarterback selection from the first round would likely be ridiculed, mocked, and generally disliked in the modern age of the NFL.

However, just because it’s unconventional to add a player with a premium pick who does not add value in the immediate future does not mean that it is the wrong pick. Many Jets fans would consider Chad a great pick based on the career he wound up having even though he did not play immediately.

A similar situation recently unfolded with the Philadelphia Eagles. Indeed, Quarterback Jalen Hurts was taken in the second round despite the status of Carson Wentz as the entrenched starting quarterback at the time. To say the fan reception was poor is to put it lightly.

Screenshop taken from https://www.bleedinggreennation.com/2020/4/25/21235961/nfl-draft-grades-2020-analyzing-eagles-day-2-picks-philadelphia-jalen-hurts-davion-taylor-linebacker

However, Eagles fans have come around to Hurts… that tends to happen when a QB takes a team to a Super Bowl and gets Most Valuable Player consideration in only their third season.

All of this is to say, the draft is coming. The Jets have holes on their roster. Some holes may be left un-patched by draft day. That does not mean the only acceptable picks (or the only players worth considering or scouting) are those who fill immediate needs. Indeed, sometimes the best pick is the one that has the least immediate impact at the time.