The excitement of the NFL draft is too great to resist creating mock draft after mock draft immediately after the regular season concludes (or perhaps even earlier). However, until the bulk of free agency passes by, it is extremely difficult to predict what will happen.

Alas, we have finally reached a point where we have a bit more clarity regarding what teams will be looking for in the draft. Legal tampering opened six days ago, and as a result, the mock draft landscape has undergone seismic shifts.

According to the consensus mock draft at the website NFL Mock Draft Database, which combs the internet for predictions from a plethora of experts, there is a new consensus favorite to be selected by the New York Jets with the seventh overall pick.

Here are the top 10 picks of the consensus mock draft as of March 16, based on mock drafts published over the past week:

  1. Tennessee Titans: Cam Ward, QB, Miami (66%)
  2. Cleveland Browns: Abdul Carter, EDGE, Penn State (39%)
  3. New York Giants: Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado (45%)
  4. New England Patriots: Travis Hunter, CB, Colorado (38%)
  5. Jacksonville Jaguars: Mason Graham, DT, Michigan (56%)
  6. Las Vegas Raiders: Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State (57%)
  7. New York Jets: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri (29%)
  8. Carolina Panthers: Shemar Stewart, EDGE, Texas A&M (17%)
  9. New Orleans Saints: Will Johnson, CB, Michigan (14%)
  10. Chicago Bears: Will Campbell, OT, LSU (16%)

Garnering 29% of selections, Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou has emerged as the new favorite to be selected by New York at No. 7.

Membou replaces Penn State tight end Tyler Warren, who was the pre-free agency favorite. Warren replaced Will Johnson, who was the pre-combine favorite.

The emergence of Membou makes sense in relation to the Jets’ free agency moves thus far. They lost right tackle Morgan Moses to the New England Patriots, and so far, the only offensive tackle they have added is Chukwuma Okorafor, who is not starting material. Right tackle is a gaping hole in the Jets’ offensive depth chart, and Membou slides in perfectly, as he exclusively played right tackle throughout his three seasons as a starter for the Tigers.

Membou is one of the draft’s fastest-rising prospects. Currently ranked as the No. 9 overall prospect on NFL Mock Draft Database’s consensus big board, Membou was all the way down at No. 46 as recently as January 11. His stock exploded after an elite combine performance in which he posted a Relative Athletic Score of 9.89. Most notably, he recorded a 4.91 forty time at 332 pounds.

Right tackle is not the only gaping need in the Jets’ starting lineup. They still lack solid starting options at wide receiver, defensive tackle, and tight end. At those positions, the Jets could consider using the seventh overall pick on prospects such as Tetairoa McMillan, Mason Graham, and Tyler Warren, respectively, if they are still available when New York is on the clock.

If the Jets selected Membou at No. 7, he would become the highest-drafted Jets offensive lineman since D’Brickashaw Ferguson in 2006 (fourth overall). Membou would be the third first-round offensive lineman drafted by New York in the 2020s, joining Olu Fashanu (2024) and Alijah Vera-Tucker (2021).