Jets' Missed Opportunity: Smith-Njigba's All-Pro Impact

0:00On April 6th, Jets GM Joe Douglas passed on Ohio State Whiteout, Jackson Smith and Jigba at the 18th pick in the 2023 draft, grabbing. Iowa State defensive end will McDonald the 4th instead. Smith and Jigba failed to the Seahawks in 19th and blew up right away, earning first team all pro honors while helping Seattle snagged the Lombardi. Trophy. McDonald chipped in 18.5 sacks over two seasons, solid but no game changer. Other GMs flubbed bigger that year with Smith and Jigba still on the board. Colts boss Chris Ballard reached for raw quarterback Anthony Richardson at 4th overall. Raiders picked Tyree Wilson 7th, who has just 7 starts in 3 years. Washington's Ron Rivera took corner Emanuel Forbes 16th over Christian Gonzalez. Ziegler and Rivera got canned, Ballard hangs on. Fans roasted Douglas, now with the Eagles, piling on his Jets tenure as another miss. But Scouts fixated on two knocks, Smith and Jigba's hamstring injury that sidelined his junior

1:04year in a 4.5 240 yard dash time. They word he lacked top speed for the pros, even signing Speedster McColl Harman in free agency instead. Truth is, his short shuttle and three cone drills were elite, testing quick cuts in change of direction better than straight line speed for. Receivers, guys like Jerry Rice, Tyrell Owens and Cooper Cup posted slow 40s too, yet racked up 16 first team All Pro nods combined. Speed of session overlooked real skills. Seahawks GM John Schneider saw past the noise, nailing the pick and earning GM of the year. Jets still grinding, but this saga screams Scouts smarter on what translates, not just stopwatch hype.