Jets fans don’t have much to be excited about going into this season, except for the possibility of a high draft pick and the opportunity to grab top quarterback prospect Sam Darnold. Well, we have some bad news for you: Darnold is considering forgoing the draft this year and staying at USC.
Jets will probably be bad this year, and still might miss out on QB Sam Darnold
Darnold will be the top quarterback in this year’s draft if he declares, but he may just stay at USC.
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Jeanna Kelley has been covering the Falcons for The Falcoholic since 2011 and the NFL for SB Nation since 2015.
Several sources close to Darnold told NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah that Darnold may remain at USC for two more years. Darnold is a redshirt sophomore, and he has three more seasons of eligibility at USC.
If Darnold does enter the draft this year, he’s projected as the top pick. Last season, which was Darnold’s redshirt freshman year, he threw for 3,086 yards, 31 touchdowns, and nine picks. USC finished the year with a 9-1 record in its final 10 games.
This may bring back some painful memories of 1997 for Jets fans. New York finished the 1996 season with a 1-15 record, and they were poised to draft Peyton Manning with the top pick. Manning, then a junior, would have been the top quarterback prospect if he had declared.
But we all know how that turned out. Manning decided to stay at Tennessee for his senior season. He was selected first overall by the Colts in 1998, and the Jets still haven’t had a viable franchise quarterback since Joe Namath.
If Jets fans have their hearts set on Darnold being the answer to the team’s woes at quarterback, they may want to temper their expectations.
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