When the New York Jets traded up from No. 6 to No. 3 in this year's NFL draft, pretty much everybody knew they were going to wind up with their quarterback of the future at that spot. Because they had already re-signed Josh McCown and brought in Teddy Bridgewater, however, we didn't know whether that player would also be the Jets' quarterback of the present. Certainly, there didn't appear to be much pressure for whoever was tabbed in that spot to start right away, given that the Jets had two viable starters on hand. 

The early reports out of Jets camp, though, indicate that Sam Darnold may be up to the task. Jets offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates has been extremely impressed with the way Darnold has picked up the playbook, even floating the possibility that he could be the team's starter if he continues to progress in this fashion. 

"If you treat them like a rookie, they'll become a rookie," Bates said. "So we threw the whole book at him to see what he could handle and what he needs to work on -- just like [Josh McCown and Teddy Bridgewater]. And he's done a really good job. Ever since rookie camp, he hasn't flinched."

With Will Brinson on vacation, CBS Sports' Ryan Wilson and Dave Richard teamed up talk about the glowing reports on Darnold (and more!) on Friday's edition of the Pick Six Podcast (a daily, 30-minutes-or-so podcast on the NFL -- subscribe: via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play). They both pumped the breaks just a bit on Darnold being ready to go right away, based on some of the other reports out of minicamp. 

"Jeremy Bates doesn't strike me as the sort of guy to give compliments when they're not deserved," Wilson said. "Maybe he's sort of hedging here. Because they have Josh McCown, who's 38 years old and will probably play forever. They signed Teddy Bridgewater who, by all accounts is having a really good offseason. And probably better, I think, at least in terms of consistency, than what we're talking about with Darnold. But I think, at least, they're seeing glimpses of things they were hoping to see, that they never saw, obviously, in [Christian Hackenberg]."

Wilson, though, did express that he feels Darnold could start eventually, if McCown performs the way he did last year. If the Jets get off to a poor start, why not turn to the rookie? 

On CBS Sports HQ, meanwhile, Danny Kanell was similarly cautious with his take on whether Darnold will start sooner rather than later. "I want to find one offensive coordinator who's like, 'Yeah, he's struggling,'" Kanell said of coaches with rookie QBs. "Everybody's gonna wax poetic about their quarterbacks because they want to sell them. They want to build confidence up, not tear it down." 

You can hear the full conversation between Wilson and Richard below, where they dig into not just Darnold, but also the Saints' backfield, Jarvis Landry's comments on Ryan Tannehill, and tight ends like David Njoku and Antonio Gates. You can also subscribe to the Pick Six Podcast for your daily dose of NFL talk via iTunes | via Stitcher | via TuneIn | via Google Play:

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