Jets GM Darren Mougey has prepared his entire life to win: ‘Always did the right thing, but he was a badass about it’

Darren Mougey was different. 

He has stood out since he stood head and shoulders above classmates in suburban Scottsdale, needing a birth certificate on hand to verify his age at youth soccer games. He grew to 6-foot-5, a state champion quarterback who worked out with Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb and outworked those he didn’t have to.

“He was the best athlete on the field 99 percent of the time,” said Dustin Kleven, Mougey’s high school teammate. “Everyone looked up to him. He was always the leader of all of our friends. How he talks to people, how he controls a room, how he can talk about anything, how smart he is — when I visited him at college, he’d always have a stack of books on his bedside table — there was just a different presence about him.

“He was like a kind assassin. He always did the right thing, but he was a badass about it, taking care of business.”