*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Two Teams Close to Removing Jachai Polite from Their Draft Boards
Updated March 1, 2019By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
Florida edge rusher Jachai Polite is one of the most intriguing prospects in the 2019 NFL Draft. The lightning fast edge rusher really impressed scouts and evaluators with how he played as a junior. Even though scouts don’t like to compare players to the best in the NFL, there were some scouts who reluctantly admitted that Polite did some things that reminded them of Von Miller. A few sources said that from a talent perspective, Polite is worthy of going in the 10-15 range of the draft. However, some teams have significant concerns about Polite’s off-the-field issues.
I surveyed five teams, and three said that Polite was on their board and not in danger of getting dropped. However, one team told me that Polite is on life support with their draft board and he is probably going to get taken off their board because of the character concerns. Another team said Polite was on their board, but he was close to him getting dropped.
The character concerns with Polite are comprised of a variety of factors. There are some minor concerns about maturity and accountability. There also are some minor worries about how he spends recreational time and hobbies. But perhaps the biggest issue is concerns about how Polite conducted himself during his sophomore year when Jim McElwain’s staff was on their way out. Some evaluators are worried that Polite quit on the staff and led teammates to do the same.
The good news for Polite is that three teams were not nearly as concerned and said the off-the-field issues were rather minor to them, and they were not going to pull Polite off their board.
The interviews at the NFL Scouting Combine, pro day, and pre-draft visits are going to be critical for Polite’s draft stock. Polite needs to ace those interviews and address concerns, or his first-round options could be significantly limited.
