By Connor Hughes | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

How'd Jamal Adams look? Is there a chance Christian Hackenberg starts? Is this defense legit? Here are 10 things I learned about the Jets throughout their offseason program.

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AP Photo

It's summer time!

If the Jets are in fact a kindergarten class, as coach Todd Bowles jokingly alluded to earlier this week, school's out for summer.

The Jets wrapped up their three-day minicamp Thursday, which means players and coaches have the next six weeks off. The next time the team will be together is July 28, when all report back to One Jets Drive for the start of training camp.

Until then, all can do what they choose. Bowles' message just before the team broke?

"Just keep training because we have a lot of work to do," the coach said. "We got a lot of work done, but we have a lot of work to do when we get back. Come in fresh and ready to go. Do some extra running."

It was a long offseason program for the Jets, which also included a few weeks of conditioning before 10 voluntary organized team activities — three of which were open to the media.

What did I personally learn during the time? Here are a few takeaways from the Jets' offseason program.

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The Jamal Adams hype appears real

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I hate sweeping assessments of players off organized team activities and minicamp workouts. No harm in observations, but to come away with a finite conclusion is silly. This is half-football. No pads, no contact.

Example: This time last year, cornerback Dee Milliner and tight end Jace Amaro were stealing the show.

With that said, Jamal Adams looks really, really good.

At the three OTAs open to the media, Adams was arguably the best player on the field. In minicamp, that continued. The guy just seems to get it. It's one thing when you're making impressive diving interceptions, but when you're a rookie and able to call out the offense's play before they run it? That's impressive.

I keep saying temper the Jamal Adams hype until he plays a game. I still agree with that... but it's getting harder and harder to say with a straight face.

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The receiver situation is a little concerning

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I didn't understand the Jets decision to cut Eric Decker. Financially, they had the money to pay him. Offensively, they needed him. Decker was the lone experienced, accomplished player in the room. His lessons and teachings would have been incredibly valuable to the young guys.

Without him, there are legitimate concerns. Of course, Quincy Enunwa, ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen — three of the projected top-five wideouts — didn't practice much.

The unit looks questionable. Several times guys appeared to run wrong routes, which led to easy interceptions (or near interceptions) by defenders. If defenses take away Enunwa, who's going to step up? I honestly don't know.

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The quarterback leader is...

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Josh McCown, but the gap between he and Christian Hackenberg (get to him in a second) is closing. You could make the argument, at minicamp, there wasn't much of a gap at all. In the three practices, McCown went 38 of 57 with a touchdown and three interceptions. Hackenberg went 26 of 42 with three touchdowns and two interceptions.

I still think the Jets name McCown the Week 1 starter, but I'm not as certain as I was in organized team activities. I'd give it a 70-75 percent chance, down from 90-95 percent.

The Jets want the youngsters to play. They want Christian Hackenberg or Bryce Petty to beat McCown out. While the idea seemed like a joke a few months ago, less people are laughing now.

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The obligatory Christian Hackenberg update

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Christian Hackenberg looked better in OTAs than his rookie year. He looked better in minicamp than in OTAs. He's (obviously) not ready to be the starter yet, but he's taking baby steps. That's all the Jets care about.

In the Jets three minicamp practices, Hackenberg completed 26 of 42 passes with three touchdowns and two interceptions. He showed signs of utter brilliance, and other moments of struggles. His accuracy is still a work in progress, and his read progression a bit flawed. That, in minicamp, was the biggest weakness I observed.

When the defense takes away his first read, there's a slight hesitation before he knows where to go next. This leads to technical breakdowns (poor footwork, decision making). On Wednesday, it resulted in two sacks.

This is likely because Hackenberg is still learning John Morton's offense. As the scheme becomes second nature, so will Hackenberg's thought process. It takes time. No need to worry much now.

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So who's this John Morton guy?

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He's quite a bit different than Chan Gailey, that's for sure. It's too early to tell exactly what Morton's offense will look like, but Morton as a coach is as intense as anyone I've seen my four years covering the team.

He demands a lot from his players. He expects excellence. When he doesn't get it, he rips into his guys with tough love. When he does, he compliments them. He seems like the coach players want to play for. Is he a hard a--? Yes, but in a good way.

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The offensive line didn't look great

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Another observation I'd like to hedge myself on. Kelvin Beachum (left tackle) and Brian Winters (right guard) practiced very little. These were also non-contact practices. It's tough for lineman to look good without pads.

With that said, defenders reached the quarterback way, way too much.

The Jets QB situation is already (arguably) the worst in the league. They can't afford to make things harder on these guys. If the offensive line can't give them time, a bad situation will just get worse.

Again, it's super early, but this was an area of concern I made note of.

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Dylan Donahue is a player to watch

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Last year, I asked Todd Bowles about the abundance of first-team reps rookie Jordan Jenkins received in OTAs and minicamp. The coach brushed it off, saying it was simply a rotation and all guys were working in.

Come training camp and the regular season, Jordan Jenkins was the Jets' starting outside linebacker. That's not a coincidence.

When guys are receiving work with the first-team offense this early and at this stage in their career, it's something to note. Eli McGuire isn't working ahead of Matt Forte. Derrick Jones isn't stealing reps from Morris Claiborne.

But Dylan Donahue is working with the starting defense. And he's been doing it since the first OTA.

Keep an eye on him in camp. Few are talking about him now... but I could see that changing... quick.

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The defense looks promising, but...

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The defense looked very good this summer. All around. From the defensive line, to the play of rookie safeties Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye, it was top-notch.

You can take this one of two ways...

Glass have full: The Jets defense is good!

Glass have empty: They're facing the Jets' offense!

There's a lot to like about the Jets' D. The defensive line didn't get worse this offseason, and the secondary looks (with Juston Burris and Morris Claiborne) legitimately improved. But this is a young unit. There will be growing pains.

The early return (right now) is promising... but a lot can change come Week 1.

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Muhammad Wilkerson is motivated

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Few players endured a more frustrating 2016 than Muhammad Wilkerson. His injured ankle/leg was never 100 percent, which likely contributed to just 4.5 sacks in 15 games. His tardiness to several meetings, and voiced frustration with teammates' effort, the secondary and training staff didn't help.

Wilkerson looks headed into 2017 with a renewed determination. He made a brilliant interception on a Josh McCown pass Tuesday, and Wednesday looped in on a stunt for a sack in team drills. He flashed time and time again. That's an awfully good thing for the Jets.

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