The Jets drafted Sam Darnold, QB, out of USC, with their 3rd overall pick. They traded up with Colts to get him. Darnold is the second QB the Jets have traded up for in the top 5 of the draft out of USC. In 2009, the Jets traded up with the Browns for the 5th overall pick to land Mark Sanchez. I noticed some similarities between these 2 QB’s so I thought it would be fun to do a comparison between the 2 QB’s.
Born: Long Beach, California
2009 Rose Bowl stats(against Penn State):
Passed for 413 yards
Awarded the Rose Bowl MVP
USC Beat Penn State 38-24
Born: Capistrano Beach, California
2017 Rose Bowls (against Penn State):
Passed for 453 yards
USC beat Penn State 52-49
As you can see, both teams faced off against the Nittany Lions in the Rose Bowl. Ironically, that was the first time in eight seasons those 2 teams faced each other. Let’s move on to their NFL debuts.
Sanchez’s NFL Debut:
Passed for 272 yards 1 TD 1 INT
Pepsi Rookie of the Week
Jets won 24-7 against the Texans
Darnold’s NFL Debut:
Passed for 198 yards 2TDS 1 INT
Nominated for Pepsi Rookie of the Week (still undecided)
Jets defeated the Lions 48-17
I don’t want to jump to conclusions here but I kind of wish Mr. Butt Fumble was still under center for the Jets. I mean, it’s only one game but so far Darnold looks to have the edge.
To be fair, Sanchez played solid against the Dolphins when he started for the Jets. The team had a 4-4 record in the 8 times Sanchez faced the Dolphins. But in his last 3 matches against the Dolphins, he threw for at least one interception each. His worse showing by far was that second matchup against the Dolphins in 2011 as he turned the ball over 3 times. In 2013, I don’t know if he got hurt or if Sanchez was just on his way out the door, but the Dolphins faced Matt Simms and Geno Smith that year when playing the Jets.
Anyway, here are his stats from 2009-2012 vs. the Dolphins:
1,906 total yards
11 TDS 7 INTS
52 % completion rate
So, Dolphans, who would you rather be facing this weekend?
