Most NFL executives steadfastly – and correctly – refuse to follow the advice of fans and celebrities when it comes to the draft. However, at least in this case, it would have been a really good idea if the team had listened.
Curb Your Enthusiasm star Larry David recently appeared on the Michael Kay Show and revealed that he told former Jets General Manager Mike Maccagnan to draft Lamar Jackson in 2018.
“I did call Mike Maccagnan before the 2018 draft and I recommended that he draft Lamar Jackson. I have a witness. I have a witness,” David explained. “He kind of gave me the most condescending, . . . I told him that. He kind of laughed at me.
“But who can blame him? No one thought Jackson was going to be anything.”
The Jets instead drafted Sam Darnold in 2018, who has had a decent start ot his career. However, Jackson has had a far more than decent start as he topped an impressive rookie campaign with an MVP performance in his second year. Not to mention, Jackson also broke the rushing record for quarterbacks in his sophomore season while also making big strides as a passer.
David is correct that Jackson had his fair share of detractors coming out of college. Most notably former Colts General Manager Bill Polian, who thought Jackson would have to convert to wide receiver in order to be successful at the pro level. Though, Jackson evidently had his believers as well, as evidenced by the fact that the Baltimore Ravens selected him in the first round.
David cited Polian’s misjudging of Jackson as evidence that many professional talent evaluators are just as clueless as anyone when it comes to evaluating NFL quarterbacks.
“No they don’t,” David said. “They really don’t — when you think about the fact that [former NFL executive] Bill Polian wanted to make Lamar Jackson a wide receiver, what does anyone know? They don’t know anything.”
The Jets finished 7-9 this year, and missed the playoffs. The Ravens finished 14-2 and will host the Titans in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs on Saturday night.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter @themightygwinn
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