Getty Images

When Jachai Polite’s final season at Florida came to an end, there were thoughts that his pass rushing ability could make him an early pick in this year’s draft.

Polite wound up going to the Jets in the third round after a poor showing on and off the field at the Scouting Combine. He hurt his hamstring while turning in disappointing results in drills and then complained about teams “bashing” him during interviews, which left him saying he had a lot of people to prove wrong now that he’s in the NFL.

On Friday, Jets coach Adam Gase said that Polite’s new team isn’t in that group. Gase said the rookie is getting a “fresh start.”

“What happened in the past is irrelevant to me,” Gase said at a press conference.

Polite had 11 sacks at Florida last year and the Jets have a big need for pass rush off the edge of their defense, which is a combination that should offer the rookie plenty of opportunities to author a better story.