Before 4 p.m. Saturday, general manager Joe Douglas severed one of Mike Maccagnan's top 2019 NFL draft picks.

The Jets released Jachai Polite, a third-round pick from Florida, a source confirmed to SNY's Ralph Vacchiano.

Among the cuts made throughout the preseason as the Jets trimmed down to 53 players on the roster, Polite's transaction proved a new era is underway.

In the preseason, Polite recorded five tackles.

Polite becomes the first and only member of Maccagnan's picks to get cut. Maccagnan was fired May 15 by the Jets, who made head coach Adam Gase the interim general manager. The organization later replaced him June 7 with Douglas.

Polite -- a 6-foot-3, 258-pound linebacker -- was the No. 68 overall pick in April. With the Gators for three years, he flashed over the first two seasons before his breakout campaign as a junior in 2018 -- 45 tackles (19.5 for loss), 11 sacks and six forced fumbles (four recoveries) -- put him firmly on the map for NFL teams.

Ahead of the draft, though, Polite -- considered a first- or second-round talent -- fell due to teams' concerns over his personality at the NFL scouting combine. Physically, Polite clocked a time of 4.84 seconds in the 40-yard dash and jumped a 32-inch vertical there.

Popular in the Community