Kelvin Beachum: 'We'll See' on Sam Darnold; He Hasn't Been 'Hit in the Mouth'

New York Jets offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum said Tuesday he's not prepared to heap praise on quarterback Sam Darnold until he sees how the rookie handles NFL defenses.

Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media provided comments from Beachum, who did clarify that he's "excited" for the third overall pick in the 2018 draft to join the offense.

"Man, I'm one of those guys: Until you get hit in the mouth, I don't know what you've got yet," he said. "And he ain't been hit in the mouth by an NFL defensive lineman. So when that time comes, we'll see."

It's unclear how long it will take for Darnold to earn the starting job. He'll open training camp in a competition with Josh McCown, Teddy Bridgewater and Christian Hackenberg.

McCown, who was viewed as a short-term stopgap heading into last year, is coming off a strong campaign for New York. He ranked 11th in the NFL with a 94.5 passer rating.

So the USC product won't be handed the keys to the offense until he proves he's ready. He completed 64.9 percent of his throws with 57 touchdowns and 22 interceptions across the last two years with the Trojans and added seven rushing scores.

"I'm aware of it," Darnold told reporters about the team's past QB struggles. "Not growing up a Jets fan, I don't understand it quite to that extent. But I'm going to come in here and do my job. And be very confident in myself."

Regardless of who's under center, Beachum and the other members of the offensive line must do a better job. They allowed 47 sacks last season, tied for the NFL's seventh-highest total, and Football Outsiders ranked the group 27th in pass protection and 29th in run-blocking.

Darnold will be getting "hit in the mouth" quite a bit if the performance up front doesn't improve.