The New York Jets have struggled to play fantastic football lately. One of the things to blame is their inability to draft players like Lamar Jackson to their team. While Jackson did turn out to be a steal, it wasn't like they would draft him simply because Larry David told them so.
Yes, the Curb Your Enthusiasm star and beloved comic once suggested to the Jets front office that they should pick the player who is now considered the favorite to win MVP at the end of this season. And, understandably, the team guffawed as they hung up on him.
The Seinfeld actor said that he called the Jets front office and told former GM Mike Maccagan to pick the pass-caller out of Louisville. Per Meredith Cash of Business Insider:
“I did call Mike Maccagnan before the 2018 draft and I recommended that he draft Lamar Jackson,” David said. “I have a witness!”
“He kinda gave me the most condescending…” he trailed off. “He laughed at me.”
“But who could blame him?” David added. “Nobody thought Jackson was going to be good.”
It's understandable why the front office laughed at David's suggestion. All the comic has for his recommendation is the eye test: he saw Jackson as a quality quarterback that could help the team win games. Meanwhile, the Jets have all the data and analytics they will ever need to pick the quarterback they felt suitable for their team.
The Jets felt that Sam Darnold was the perfect choice for them.
To be fair to Darnold, he is playing good football, but it's a waste for the Jets and the rest of the NFL to pass up on one of the best young quarterbacks in the country. This incident makes David look better than the entire Jets scouting department. A rather telling development.
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