With First Quarter of Year Done, how Have Jets Rooks Looked?

Since the NFL went to a seventeen game season, the true “quarter” mark of the year would be before the start of the second quarter of the fifth game.  But who the heck is going to break down a quarterly review that way?  Not us.

So yes, the season is slightly more than a quarter finished as the Jets sit at 2-3, but we decided to give Joe Douglas’ 2024 rookie class five games before chiming in on how they’ve performed thus far.

OT Olu Fashanu (Round 1, Pick 11): Fashanu was drafted with an eye on having him back up Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses with the expectation that one (or both) would miss time and allow Fashanu to play.  As it turns out, Moses was injured in week three, meaning Fashanu played half of that game and has started the two contests since.  How has he fared?

There have been some positive flashes for Fashanu but the full body of work has not been all that great.  In his two starts we’ve seen him allow nine quarterback pressures while finding himself on the ground more often than you’d like to see.

In fairness to Fashanu, he is playing out of position at right tackle so some bumps in the road are to be expected.  The folks at PFF haven’t though much of Fashanu either, grading him out at as a 49 out of 100 overall.  That puts him almost exactly on par with second-year man Carter Warren’s rookie campaign when he was graded at 46.9.

1st quarter grade: C-minus

WR Malachi Corley (Round 3, pick 65): A tackle breaking machine in college who ran a limited route tree, expectations from most fans were for Corley to play a limited role early on while the rest of his game developed.

Unfortunately, it’s been far worse than that.  Corley rarely sees the filed, has been inactive at times and has logged just 1 catch for 4 yards on the season.  Don’t panic just yet Jets fans.  Corley has plenty of time to develop his game.  But through the first five games of his rookie season, it has to be a fail.

1st quarter grade: F

RB Braelon Allen (Round 4, pick 134)

On most NFL teams you’d probably see Allen getting a lot more carries than he does with the Jets.  But sharing with Breece Hall has limited him to just 32 attempts thus far.  But with those chances he’s managed to average 4.5 yards per carry and looks to have the ability to be a long-term contributor on offense.

Grade: B

QB Jordan Travis (Round 5, pick 171)

Travis has yet to see the field as a rookie and there’s a pretty good chance it stays that way in year one.

Grade: Incomplete

RB Isaiah Davis (Round 5, pick 173)

Davis is the third running back behind Breece Hall and Braelon Allen which means he won’t see much action.  Through five games he has carried the ball three times for six yards.  However, he has done some solid work on special teams which is where the Jets saw Davis having a chance to shine.

Grade: Incomplete

CB Qwan’tez Stiggers (Round 5, pick 176)

A great story coming out of the draft, Stiggers has played just 1 snap on defense but added 64 on special teams.  His lack of time at corner is easily understood when you look at who is in front of him.  A developmental player, Stiggers will likely compete for a starting job next season.

Grade: Incomplete

S Jaylen Key (Round 7, pick 257)

Key was let go earlier in the year by the Jets but was brought back today and added to the practice squad.

Grade: Incomplete

DT Leonard Taylor (UDFA):

Taylor has seen his opportunities increase in recent weeks and the big man out of Miami has made the most of it.  He picked up his first full sack against the Vikings on Sunday and picked up a half against the Patriots.  Nice contributions from a guy who didn’t cost the team a pick.

Grade: C-plus

DE Braiden McGregor (UDFA):

McGregor hasn’t done much in limited opportunities but has flashed some ability against the run and pass.  Don’t be surprised if he hangs around for a while.

Grade: C-minus

DE Eric Watts (UDFA):

Watts has played just a few snaps but offers an intriguing option up front as a young player who can probably move around up and down the D-line.

Grade: Incomplete

TE Brenden Bates (UDFA):

Bates has been given a few opportunities as a blocker where he excelled in college but has been a disaster early on.  He should be replaced by veteran Anthony Firkser at this point and place on the practice squad.

Grade: F

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