How high is the sky for Darron Lee?
The New York Jets selected linebacker Darron Lee out of Ohio State with the 20th overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft. This is what you can expect from him in his 1st season with Gang Green.
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There are many reasons why Darron Lee will have a productive rookie season with the Jets. First, he brings youth and athleticism to the team, replacing Calvin Pace and Quinton Coples. Pace was an aging veteran whose diminished skills prevented him from shedding blocks to stop the run while he no longer had the talent to pass rush to the quarterback. Coples, at 6 feet and 6 inches and 290 pounds, was too tall and stiff to play the linebacker position and was better served playing as an end. Lee is a natural linebacker with the needed speed and acceleration to upgrade the corps for the Jets. There will no longer be wide open Rob Gronkowskis or Lesean McCoys just because old and slow linebackers can’t keep up with them down the field.
Another reason why Darron will be a force is because of the system that he will be in. Todd Bowles is the head coach that blitzes the most in the league at 40%, which will benefit Lee. While Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams collapse the pocket in front of him, he will break through the holes in the offensive line. This is exactly what happened with rookie OLB Lorenzo Mauldin when the Jets faced the New England Patriots in week 16 in the 4th quarter last year. As the Big Three broke through, Tom Brady stepped up in the pocket, only to get wrapped at the knees by Mauldin and get sacked on 3rd down.
Darron is in the same predicament as Lorenzo was last season. Even though they both have no NFL experience, they have sideline to sideline speed, have the best defensive line in the league in front of them and a blitzing system that constantly pressures the QB. Comparing Lee to Mauldin is not out of the question and predicting 4 sacks,5 pass deflections along with 50 tackles for the 2016 season is reasonable. This environment will make him a useful complement to the Jets defense and will help him to grow and develop over the years.
