Sam Darnold held the ball with two hands. Before the Jets’ second minicamp practice Wednesday, the No. 3 overall pick worked solo with assistant quarterbacks coach Mick Lombardi as a team cameraman kept close watch. Darnold took a series of five- and seven-step dropbacks before tossing the ball to Lombardi, who was running simple flat, cross and hitch routes. And each time, Darnold’s left hand stayed on the ball until the very last second.
At USC last season, Darnold fumbled 12 times in 14 games. “When we went on a visit during the draft period, he even discussed that with us and talked about how he’d been training with Jordan [Palmer],” offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates says.