Darron Lee views his first season in the NFL as “a work in progress,” but the Jets’ rookie inside linebacker knows he still has six weeks left to finish strong.
“I’ll evaluate my entire year when it’s over,” Lee, who hasn’t put together many highlights to date — totaling 31 tackles and a sack — told The Post on Friday. “I just want to try to make as many plays as I can the rest of the way in order to contribute to the team, and that’s what I’ll evaluate myself on.”
Lee, 22, the team’s first-round pick out of Ohio State, recently missed three games because of a sprained ankle before seeing limited action — 13 of 68 defensive snaps — in the Jets’ 9-6 loss to the Rams in Week 10. However, he could have an expanded role against the Patriots on Sunday, where his coverage skills would be put to the test against New England’s dynamic spread offense.
“Obviously, he’s a rookie, so he’s going to learn some things,” Jets coach Todd Bowles said. “You see him run and hit, but it’s an experience thing. As you get the mental part down, you get better with your games. He came back from injury last week. He made some plays and he got his feet wet again. So it’s a matter of retooling, getting the tackling down and him seeing the things he needed to see.”
Lee, who ran a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine and converted from safety to linebacker in college, relishes the opportunity to face future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady, assuming he starts for the Patriots as expected despite dealing with a knee injury.
“It’s going to be like a dream come true for me because I’ve done literally nothing but watch him from when he won his first Super Bowl until now,” Lee said of Brady. “I’ve watched him as a kid growing up, and it’s honestly cool and surreal that I get to actually play against him.”
Lee’s margin for error will be slim. Brady (16 touchdowns, one interception) has no shortage of weapons around him, even with Rob Gronkowski’s status uncertain.
“You have to be on point,” said Lee, who struggled in coverage against Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham (six receptions, 113 yards) earlier this season. “I can’t have these little, small mistakes. I can’t look back for half a second because they’ll get you, so I have to be very sound in my technique and fundamentals and just try to win and compete every single rep.”
Aside from his ankle injury, Lee’s rookie season also was marred when his mother, Candice, was hospitalized with a blood clot in October.
“That’s life, isn’t it?” Lee said. “You’re going to go through some things. But I just know on Sunday, the man across from me, he doesn’t care about that. My mom’s doing a lot better and everything, so I don’t have to worry too much about that, but you have to leave the off-the-field business off the field.”
Lee may not be making the impact fellow Ohio State first-rounders Joey Bosa and Ezekiel Elliot have for the Chargers and Cowboys, respectively, but there’s still time.
In what appears to be a lost season for the Jets, Lee is still looking to find his way.
“My mindset is to go in there and get a win on Sunday,” Lee said. “It’s pretty clear cut. Obviously, it hasn’t been the best season by anyone’s standards, but we have to just go out there and continue to fight.”