New York Jets: Jachai Polite over Chase Winovich looks brutal

The New York Jets are taking an early “L” against the Patriots, cutting third-round pick Jachai Polite who was picked ahead of Chase Winovich.

The New York Jets have made the difficult decision to release 2019 third-round draft pick Jachai Polite, according to a number of reports.

Polite, a rookie out of Florida, had stellar production for the Gators but his stock took a huge hit when he had a horrendous pre-draft workout.

He finished his final season with the Gators racking up 19.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, and a whopping six forced fumbles. It’s not easy to rack up those kinds of numbers, so what in the world happened here?

Checking in at 6-foot-3, 258 pounds, Polite — known for his ability to speed rush off the edge — turned in a disappointing 4.84 in the 40-yard dash and a 32-inch vertical jump, looking sloppy and not in great shape.

As a result, a guy who had been talked about as a first- or second-round draft pick ended up being a high third-round pick, and many felt like if he would have reached his potential, the Jets had gotten a major steal.

To add insult to this injury, the Jets have to watch as fellow third-round pick Chase Winovich, another edge player, thrives with the New England Patriots.

No two situations are the exact same, but Winovich was taken nine picks after Polite and has been absolutely outstanding for the Pats in preseason play. As a matter of fact, he’s in line to play a huge role on their defense.

There’s no question about him making the squad.

On the one hand, you can’t fault the Jets for taking Polite where they did considering his potential as a possible first-round talent. On the other hand, every team in the NFL seemed to understand the writing was on the wall there, and it’s possible the Jets could have gotten him on day three with the way he was falling down the draft board.

It’s worth noting that the GM who drafted Polite — Mike Maccagnan — was fired earlier this offseason. There’s no clearer indicator of whose decision it was to pick a guy then this. Maccagnan used his GM trump card to take the potential of Polite instead of the more ‘certain’ pick of a guy like Winovich.

Because Polite is going on waivers, he’s no guarantee to return to the Jets to be part of their practice squad. The team obviously invested a very high draft choice to get him in New York, so they would probably like to have him back, but the rest of the league could also be intrigued by Polite on a flier here.

He’s got four years of team control, but does he have the desire to get better and turn his potential into production?

The ultimate irony would be if the Patriots somehow got their hands on Polite. They should put in a claim just in case.