Mel Kiper: Two Jets Draft Picks Will Make Early Impact

ESPN’s Mel Kiper produced lists of Draft picks he believes will be impact players from the first day of the Draft, the second day of the Draft, and the third day of the Draft. A pair of Jets made the list.

Jamal Adams, S, New York Jets

Pick: No. 6

So, the Jets drafted Adams and Marcus Maye (second round). And they already have 2015 first-round pick Calvin Pryor, who appears to be on his way out, and 2015 free-agent signing Marcus Gilchrist, who is recovering from knee surgery. New York coach Todd Bowles says they have a plan in place, and I'm betting that plan involves a lot of Adams, who is one of the most NFL-ready players in this class. He is a versatile safety who can play in the box effectively, make tackles against the run, and move to the edges and track slot receivers.

Adams will help a secondary that gave up 30 passing touchdowns (tied for 25th) and intercepted only eight passes (tied for 29th) last season. I love him as a blitzer too.

Jordan Leggett, TE, New York Jets

Pick: No. 150 (Fifth round)

I highlighted O.J. Howard among the first-round picks, and Leggett is another tight end who should play early -- because the Jets don't have much else. That's why I thought New York might take Howard at No. 6 overall. Austin Seferian-Jenkins is atop the depth chart, but he's suspended for the first two games of the season.

Leggett is more of a pass-catcher than a blocker, but at 6-5 and 258 pounds, he has some upside. He had 46 catches and seven touchdowns at Clemson last season, and he was one of the stars of the Tigers' national championship game win.

Generally speaking, it is a good idea to take the under on players selected after the first two rounds. You tend to not get many contributions from those players. Any player who offers immediate production as a rookie is a very nice bonus.

When you pick a guy sixth overall, you tend to expect production so there is no surprise Adams is on the list. He wasn’t just one of the best talents in the class. As Kiper mentioned, he already has an NFL game.

For Leggett, yes he might make an impact in the sense the lack of other options at tight end could mean a lot of playing time. Rookie tight ends seldom make a big impact, though. The Jets have gotten so little at the position recently that he might actually be more productive than what the team has had, but it would not be wise to expect game breaking production as a rookie.