Jamal Adams unexpectedly slid a few spots down the draft board - and the New York Jets couldn't believe their fortunes.
So, with the LSU safety still available, there was little doubt as to whom the Jets would take with the No. 6 overall pick.
"In a lot of our projections," general manager Mike Maccagnan said Thursday night, "we really never had him getting to us."
The son of former Giants running back George Adams will immediately help a Jets secondary that struggled mightily last season.
This is the sixth time in franchise history that the Jets picked sixth, and second in three years after New York took defensive lineman Leonard Williams in 2015. That year, Williams unexpectedly dropped to New York - and the same thing happened with Adams, who was largely projected to go within the top three selections.
"He's one of the guys we had targeted very high," coach Todd Bowles said.
In three seasons at LSU, Adams had five interceptions and 127 tackles and established himself as a terrific defender in both man and zone coverage with solid skills in the run defense.
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"He checked all the boxes for us," Bowles said.
Adams was also praised for his leadership abilities, something the Jets coaches and scouts found when they talked to him leading up to the draft.
"We knew he was an Alpha dog coming in," Bowles said. "The culture we're trying to create, we think he's perfect for our building."
The Jets' starting safeties last season were Calvin Pryor, a first-rounder in 2014 who has been a bit of a disappointment, and veteran Marcus Gilchrist, who is coming off a serious knee injury.
