Who is Jachai Polite, the Florida Gators edge rusher drafted by the New York Jets?
In the months following a stellar final college football season at the University of Florida, Gators edge rusher Jachai Polite saw his prospects fall based off his combine numbers and interviews with NFL scouts that came away less than impressed.
At the combine, he ran a 4.84 40-yard dash and jumped 32 inches. Both numbers are low for a defensive end.
But Polite, who played high school football in Daytona Beach for Mainland High, was ridiculous on the field for the Gators. He tallied 11 sacks, 17.5 tackles for a loss and forced six fumbles playing for the SEC East school in 2018.
As a freshman at Mainland High, Polite created his current Twitter handle that reads “@RetireMoms.” It was a desire to have his mother, Katrina Simmons, retire, according to Sports Illustrated.
Now he’s closer to helping his mom retire as an NFL player after the New York Jets drafted him in the third round with the 68th overall pick.
This story was originally published April 26, 2019 at 6:50 PM with the headline "Who is Jachai Polite, the Florida Gators edge rusher drafted by the New York Jets?."
