Chris Rumph first saw Jachai Polite play at Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Fla., in 2015.

Rumph was an assistant at the University of Florida at the time, and the Gators were looking at Polite initially as a tight end. Then, Rumph saw Polite play defensive end against a top-rated tackle who had committed to Auburn.

“He just proceeded to wear this guy out,” Rumph, now the defensive coordinator at Tennessee, said by phone Wednesday. “We were like, ‘Boys, we got us one.’ ”

Polite did commit to Florida and became one of the best pass rushers in college football last season, with 11 sacks and six forced fumbles, the most in the country. The Jets picked Polite in the third round of the NFL draft, hoping he can bring some of that pass-rushing magic to their defense.

Just like he believed the Gators had something special when they landed Polite, Rumph thinks the Jets may have landed a difference-maker.

“I think [the Jets] got a steal with him in the third round,” Rumph, who was Polite’s defensive line coach in 2016-17, said. “That’s a big-time steal.”

When you watch the film of Polite at Florida, you can see what Rumph is talking about. Polite is constantly bending the edge and terrorizing SEC quarterbacks. He looks like a high-motor pass rusher who can give the Jets the edge rusher they have been searching for since John Abraham left town 13 years ago.

But Polite is a 6-foot-2, 245-pound question mark. Yes, he could be the answer to the Jets’ pass-rushing problems. Or he could just end up being a problem.

If the draft had been held in January, Polite would have gone in the first round based off his 2018 season.

But the months of February and March took their toll on Polite’s draft stock. He had a terrible scouting combine, clashing with teams in interviews, then telling the media about it to go along with some poor testing. Things did not improve at his Pro Day, and suddenly a surefire top-15 pick was sliding down draft boards.

Polite said he learned a lesson from the experience. The Jets believe Polite, who turned 21 in March, is a good kid who made some immature mistakes.

There are whispers, though, from executives with other teams about more baggage than just immaturity. But Polite is not a criminal. He did not fail any drug tests. He does not have a history of DUIs. The Jets are banking on him being able to grow with their support.

Rumph blamed Polite’s mistakes at the combine on those around him not preparing him better. But he admits Polite is sometimes too honest for his own good.

“He’s going to say what’s on his mind,” Rumph said. “He’s not trying to be disrespectful, but he’ll tell you if you ask the question, I’m giving you the answer. Sometimes that might get him in trouble. He’s going to have to be smart going to a big market like New York with what he’s saying and how he’s saying it. But I think his intentions are great, his heart is in the right place.”

Polite showed that heart with his Twitter handle “@retiremoms” — a nod to his mother Katrina Simmons, who he hopes can retire from her job as the supervisor of housekeepers at a hotel in Daytona Beach now that he is in the NFL.

As far as showing heart on the field, Rumph points to a play in 2017 when Florida was facing Tennessee in Gainesville. Polite was initially fooled on a screen pass to running back John Kelly, but he then ran 25 yards downfield, at one point passing Kelly, before coming back to make the tackle.

“I’ve been coaching a while, and that was one of the top five plays I’ve seen a guy make in my life,” said Rumph, a coaching veteran of more than 20 years.

If Jets fans Google the play, they will be salivating at the potential their new pass rusher shows.

Polite is the most intriguing player the Jets selected this year, the quintessential boom-or-bust draft pick for a team that desperately needs a boomer at pass rusher after too many busts.