The New York Jets traded up three spots a month before the 2018 NFL draft to make sure they got a franchise quarterback. They may have landed the best one in the class when USC’s Sam Darnold fell into their lap at the No. 3 overall pick.

The talented gun-slinger is dripping with potential, possessing both the physical and mental tools to be a difference-maker at the game’s most important position.

Few people know that better than USC offensive coordinator Tee Martin, who had a front-row seat for Darnold’s development over the past three years.

Martin recently spoke exclusively with Draft Wire about Darnold’s potential, why the Jets are a perfect fit for their new signal-caller, and much more.

JM: At what point did you realize Sam Darnold was special?

TM: Wow. I knew that the talent was there when he began summer camp with us. We had invited a lot of really good quarterbacks from the area to attend camp. Sam wasn’t one of the more recognizable names at the time. He wasn’t the biggest recruit. There were some other kids that came in with more hype surrounding them. I was coaching the wide receivers, and I kept seeing these balls being thrown that were just on the money time and time again. There was great zip on the ball and they were very accurate. I kept looking back like, “Who’s making these throws?” and every time I looked back, lo and behold, it was Sam Darnold. We had a lunch break as a staff, and we’re talking about the guys, and we all just kind of sat back and asked, “Who’s the quarterback from San Clemente High School?” It was Darnold, of course.

I said I think we need to make that kid an offer and a couple of the guys agreed (laughs). We kind of went back and forth on him. It’s hard sometimes to trust your instincts to make an offer to a guy who a lot of people didn’t know about. We decided to trust that the talent we saw on that day was real. He panned out. He ended up committing to us after we offered him a scholarship. He gave our starting defense fits during his red-shirt freshmen year. He was running the scout team and competing against the starters in practice. The word quickly went around the team about how good this kid was. It got to the point where as a staff, we would go over to the other side of the ball just to watch Sam practice. We knew it was only a matter of time before he got his opportunity as a starter and that he was going to be special.

JM: He had his fair share of ups and downs, like anyone. How do you feel he grew in his time at USC?

TM: He was never gun-shy. Sometimes when you play with the style that Sam plays with, it reminds me of Brett Fave or Aaron Rodgers. The type of quarterback where when they see it, they let the ball go. They trust their instincts. Sometimes they’re gonna make unbelievable plays, and they’re gonna push the envelope. Sometimes the defense is gonna make a play on that ball. Sometimes you’re gonna turn the ball over when you play the game that way. For me, being a coach and being the play-caller, I never felt like Sam was a problem or that he cost us a game. He always found a way to recover and make up for it. We continued to get better every week. Early in the season this year, we started out with some turnovers. If you look at the second half of our season, we cleaned that up and played better football.

I think Sam’s best football is ahead of him. I think the Jets are getting him at the right time. Sam is the youngest out of all those other guys that were drafted and he has the most to grow. I’m really excited to see how he continues to develop.

JM: How would you describe his work ethic?

TM: He’s an absolute professional. He shows up early. He’s in the film room early. He has a great work ethic both from a physical and mental standpoint. He understands how to train himself from the neck up and from the neck down. I think the Jets locker room is gonna like him because he’s not a rah-rah guy. He’s not a big talker. He’s one of those guys that shows up to work and gains respect by what he does on the field. When you’re a rookie and you’re a top draft pick at the quarterback position, that’s how the veterans want you to be. I think he’s gonna be an excellent pro.

JM: How did he take to your coaching?

TM: He’s a coachable player. He’s always asking questions because he wants to understand things. We did a lot here at USC. He won’t have trouble from a learning standpoint. We put a lot on his plate. He had to read things in the run game, in the passing game and even in the RPO world. Sam has done everything that there is to do from an offensive schematic standpoint. That won’t be much of a challenge for him. He’s a quick learner. If you show it to him on film and give him a few reps in practice, he’s game ready.

A lot of times, with the complexity of the offenses in the NFL, it’s so important that you have a quick learner at the quarterback position. Someone that you don’t have to baby. You can show him something once or twice and he picks up on it. That’s Sam Darnold. I think he’ll go in ready to play, and he’ll have no issues learning the playbook.

JM: Speaking of the things you put on his plate, was he empowered to make checks at the line of scrimmage?

TM: He had opportunities to check in the run game. He was able to go from run to pass or pass to run. We always had him operating our protections. Every protection that we have, there’s an opportunity for the quarterback to protect himself. He’s very familiar with that. There are times where he chose to get the ball out. One of his best strengths is his release. He gets the ball out so quickly in the face of pressure. There were times where he understood his problem but he knew he could get the ball out and make a play before they got to him. He understands that. He understands protections. He’s coming from a multiple-protection offense. I think he’ll be fine.

JM: Speaking of his release, a lot of has been made of it. His wind up is pretty unique at times. What’s your take on it, and do you think he needs to alter it at the next level?

TM: For me, I look at it like a basketball analogy. If the shot’s going in, I’m not gonna change too much about that guy’s form. For Sam, the shot went in. A lot of times when you critique a quarterback or you’re asking him to change something, it’s due to accuracy. Maybe he’s over-striding, locking up his front knee or something else that’s causing him to be inaccurate. With Sam, what’s best about him is that he has so many different release points and angles that he knows when to put touch on the ball and when to zip it.

I think that whole thing about his release was way overblown. People just need something to talk about. For us, that was never a problem. I thought he got the ball out better than most guys I’ve been around in my career. Can he get better at some things? Certainly. The New York Jets will do that, it’s their job to make him better. For us, I never felt the release was a problem. I never saw a need to go in and make changes with his motion.

JM: At this time, which aspects of his game are most developed?

TM: The skills that he was born with. It’s his instincts. Great quarterbacks or great players, regardless of the sport, have what you can’t coach. That’s instincts. You have to have a feel, you have to have vision, you have to have timing, you have to have heart, and you have to be passionate. You’re born with those things. You either have it or you don’t. Sam is one of those special guys that has it.

I think the number one thing that he possesses is his instinct to feel pressure or to feel a problem. He knows when to scramble and throw a ball downfield. He knows when to run for a first down and avoid taking a hit. He just has a gut feeling for how to play the game. I don’t think that’s something you can coach. You have to have it. And then you build around those skills that he already has. That’s how I played the game and that’s how I coach the game today. It made for a lot of chemistry between Sam and myself. I wasn’t in the room with him. I coached the wide receivers. A lot of times, I had to rely on our communication and our shared vision of the game. I had to call plays with a certain expectation knowing what I was gonna get from Sam. I was never fooled by the things he did. I understood how he played the game.

JM: On the other side of the coin, which parts of his game need improving?

TM: I think he can grow in all areas. He’s a young guy. He started three quarters of one season and then started all of last season. Getting reps and seeing different things will only make his game better. When you’re looking at a guy that young who has been that successful, you look at the bigger picture. You look at his decision-making and the things you alluded to earlier, such as his release, his footwork, and the things he can get better at. Of course he can get better.

As a player, you want to critique every part of your game until you become a complete player. If you can’t handle that criticism, you’ll never become a complete player in this league. For him to be a rookie in the NFL, it would be premature for me to point out the things he can get better at. I know what he did for us. He was perfect for us and what we asked him to do. I don’t know what that’s gonna be like for the Jets.

JM: Do you have any examples you can share regarding his leadership style?

TM: I just remember this one time during the last offseason. Our players were having volunteer workouts. Some of the guys had left the water coolers out on the field. Someone took a picture of Sam being the last guy leaving the field and he’s carrying the water cooler off the field.

This year, Ronald Jones II had his pro day, and he called Sam the night before. Sam was in Cleveland. He asked Sam to come throw for him. Sam flies across the country to Los Angeles. He landed at 6 am. He drove over to USC and threw for Ronald at his pro day. He did not have to do that at all. Everybody asked him about that. No one expected him to be there. “Why did you come, Sam?” “Because my teammate asked me to.” Sam had everything to lose. There were 16 teams in attendance and everybody was originally there to critique Ronald Jones. More so than anything, they wound up looking at Sam, as well. That goes to show what kind of person and teammate he is. He comes from humble beginnings. His family is filled with great, hard-working people. I don’t think Sam will change.

JM: How do you personally like the New York Jets as his landing spot?

TM: For me, I love it. I love Todd Bowles and those guys. I’ve followed Leonard Williams’ career quite closely. I’m very close to Leonard. I grew up watching the Jets. I love the mentality of the Jets. In my years playing against them when I was in the NFL, their fan base is crazy passionate. I think it’s a great fit. They represent what Sam Darnold is. I think it’s a great fit from a coaching standpoint. His style of play fits them nicely.

The expectations are perfect. He’s coming from the Los Angeles market to the New York market. When you look at all the factors at play and you talk about the predictors of success, I had a front row seat and I think it sets up for Sam to have a great career. It’s time to play ball now. The draft is over and he landed where he did. It’s time to go to work now. I’m excited about the direction of that organization and what they choose to do in drafting Sam.

JM: Going a little deeper, how do you think he’ll handle the situation there? It’s a big market, and their fans are hungry for success. He may be in a competition with Josh McCown. Then there’s the cold weather.

TM: I think he’s done everything you just mentioned. He’s been through quarterback competitions here at USC. He came into a situation where we were 1-2 and wound up being 1-3. We end up going on a winning streak and win the Rose Bowl without losing a game for the rest of the season. When looking at the Los Angeles market, the New York market is the only one that can match it’s intensity. I think he’s in a great place.

In terms of dealing with the weather, I think he’ll be fine. Throwing a football is throwing a football, Yeah, it’ll get windy, cold and rainy at times. I watched every snap in the NFL last season. I watched this one game last season and I won’t say which team it was. I watched a quarterback who played in a very cold city fumble the ball four times in New York in those elements. I think the weather is a problem for anybody. I had a hard time throwing in cold and rainy weather (laughs). It’s just hard. I think Sam will be fine. He’ll get used to it at the end of the day.

Tom Brady is a guy from California playing in New England. He’ll play with a glove at times. The technology and the things that are around today to help quarterbacks throw the ball are so much better than they were 10 years ago. We didn’t have the technology to help out quarterbacks or wide receivers even. Sam will be just fine. Whatever he decides to do, he’ll adapt to it.

JM: What kind of pro projection do you see for his career if he ultimately reaches his potential?

TM: I don’t know that I can make a projection like that. I’m not into the expectations and all that stuff. I just know that the sky is the limit for him if he continues to work the way that he’s been working. I’ve watched him learn and grow a tremendous amount. That will continue as long as he’s surrounded by good coaches in a good system. The surrounding cast will have a lot to do with it. We put so much of this on the quarterback himself, but this is a team game. You’re not drafting a point guard that can shoot the ball 40 times and change the game. That’s not football. You have to play good defense. You have to have an offensive line, a run game and receivers that can make plays. You need all of these things in order to be successful.

I think we put too much pressure on the quarterback at times. I understand they get a lot of accolades. When you look at the successful quarterbacks, they play on good football teams. I think Sam’s success will be contingent on all of these factors. From a standpoint of the things that he can control, with me knowing Sam and his work ethic and the way that he prepares and the way that he loves the game, I think he’ll be very successful. The success of quarterbacks no matter the level of play, it can be high school or the NFL, that has a lot to do with the surrounding cast allowing you to focus on your job. If that’s the case in New York, then I think the organization will be very successful with Sam at the helm.

JM: How would you compare him to the other top quarterbacks in this draft? Do you think Sam should have gone No. 1 overall?

TM: It wasn’t my decision to make. I can’t speak on what pick he should have went at. All I can say is that he’s very happy to be a New York Jet. I liked every one of those quarterbacks. I had an opportunity to evaluate all of those guys on my own time. I think Josh Allen has an unbelievable arm. I think that in time once he’s given the reps, he can develop into a really good quarterback. He’s very arm talented and he’s more athletic than he gets credit for. I really love Baker Mayfield. I think he’s a baller. He’s like Sam in a sense. They have a good feel for the game. They can improvise. They lead their respected teams. When Sam Darnold or Baker Mayfield walk out onto the field, their teams felt like they could win. I think that means something. It’s like having your No. 1 pitcher on the mound when those guys are playing. I really like both of them.

Josh Rosen is a guy that I recruited out of high school. I’ve known Josh for a long time. He’s super talented. He’s very accurate as a passer. He has great deep ball accuracy. He possesses all of the tools. I thought highly of all four of these guys. Even Lamar Jackson. I’m a huge Lamar Jackson fan. He went at the bottom of the first round, but I’d include him in this discussion. I think he can be the modern-day Michael Vick. It’ll depend on the type of system he’s put in. He’s a problem, man. You’re talking about having to account for a guy that’s more athletic than any player on your defense. That’s hard to do.

I’m a big fan of all those guys. It was a very rare year. You don’t typically see 5 quarterbacks go in the first round and you can conceivably see all 5 being successful. I really hope all of these young men are put in good situations. All of us as football fans deserve to see those young guys have success. We’re entering an age of pro football where some of our figureheads at the quarterback position are nearing the end of their careers. As football fans, you want these guys to be good and represent the next wave of great quarterback play.

JM: We’ve talked about Sam in great length obviously, but you still have a job to do in his absence. How does USC handle the the next chapter without him?

TM: There’s no replacing him. It’s like any great player. You can’t replace them. We still have to move the ball and we still have to score points. It’s our job as a staff to find a way to do those things. It’s just like when Sam became our starter. We went from Matt Barkley to Cody Kessler to Sam Darnold. All of those guys are different. We missed them all in different ways. At the end of the day, our job is to move the football. We’re gonna find a way to do that. We’re entering a quarterback competition. Once the starter is revealed. we’ll move on with what we have to do to win games.