Darron Lee, linebacker, New York Jets
It might be unfair to place a guy who was just a rookie last year on this list. However, there are a couple of valid reasons Lee was chosen.
First, his 2016 season was a huge disappointment. As a first-round pick who was highly touted coming into the draft, Lee failed to make a good impression. He made just 73 tackles and registered one sack in 13 games. If you’re into this sort of thing, Lee had a Pro Footballl Focus grade of 38.3 — 84th among inside linebackers.
Worse still, the Jets lost 11 games, which really got under Lee’s skin.
“It pisses me off,” Lee told NJ Advance Media. “I don’t like to lose. I wasn’t born on this planet to lose.”
So, we know both Lee and the Jets weren’t good last year.
Now comes the second big reason Lee is on this list. The Jets need to know if this kid is legit. If he’ll be able to be a big part of their future. We all saw what happened this offseason. The Jets had no qualms about cutting their losses and stripping the roster bare. They’re starting the whole shebang all over again.
So Lee needs to prove he’s everything he was supposed to be coming out of Ohio State. And he needs to do it now.