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Reporting live from New York Jets HQ in Florham Park, NJ—The New York Jets knew who they wanted to draft with the seventh overall pick. This was always the case, even with many draft analysts and pundits predicting otherwise.
On Thursday night, the Jets selected Missouri right tackle Armand Membou in the 2025 NFL draft, hoping to solidify an offensive line that’s been an Achilles’ heel for years.
Interestingly, in addition to Membou’s clear physical traits, the organization is even more excited about the human being.
Jets thrilled with ‘no-brainer’
It was easy to see how excited Jets head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey were to make Membou the first selection of their era with the franchise.
Mougey looked composed and calculated. Glenn had a smirk and excitement that only comes from nabbing the top prospect on a draft board.
“The athletic profile is off the charts. He’s mean, he’s nasty, he’s tough,” Glenn told the media after his first-ever draft selection as Jets head coach. “What we’re trying to do on offense, he really fits what we’re trying to do, so it was a no-brainer. I mean, once the pick was there for us, man, it was like this is the guy.”
Glenn has been around the NFL for a long time now. While he never played in the trenches during his Pro Bowl career, he has always understood the importance of having a strong offensive line on any team.
When he was hired as defensive coordinator with the Detroit Lions, Glenn’s first year saw the team take Penei Sewell with the seventh overall pick. The Oregon prospect was considered the top prospect available to the team. Detroit had bigger needs around the roster, including a struggling defense, and a mediocre receiving core.
It didn’t matter. Solidifying the offensive line was more important.
That mindset played a big part in the Jets coming away with Membou on Thursday.
“I’m a firm believer that you start it inside out, so if we can build our line, just as much as our defensive line, also, that only helps you as a team,” Glenn explained. “It helps your quarterback, it helps your running backs, it helps your passing game, and it just creates an identity within your team that you’re trying to make sure that every team, when they watch film, they see that.”
Membou’s “nastiness” undoubtedly pops on screen when watching him play at Missouri.
Despite the potential benefit of solving other roster needs, the Jets couldn’t pass up that attitude and style of play.
How the pick was made
As good as Membou’s tape was at Missouri, the consensus around the 21-year-old was tough to describe during the pre-draft process.
He looked solid during his three-year run with the Tigers, but some around the league had expected him to return for his final season at Missouri and develop his game more.
It’s a big reason why Mougey was open with the process that led to Membou becoming the Jets’ seventh overall pick.
“I actually evaluated him this year when I was previously with Denver as an early
potential, but he was kind of a late add to a lot of the group,” Mougey said. “So, you get people kind of getting looks at him later in the process, and then obviously he had his showing at the Combine, definitely put himself on the map there for everyone.”
To say Membou knocked the Combine out of the park would be an understatement. His 4.91 forty time was the fastest for any tackle during workouts and highlighted his athleticism.
While some mock drafts had him going as high as the 11th overall pick at the start, his tape and strong workout measurements had him catapult into the top 10.
Eventually, to the Jets’ open arms.
Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reported that the Jets had met with Membou twice in the week before the draft, each lasting at least 45 minutes.
The interest was there from both sides. New York needed a right tackle to put the finishing touches on a young offensive line, and Membou was looking for the perfect place to begin his career.
Both found what they were looking for in each other.
“It was just something in my gut that told me, when I woke up today, that I was going to be a Jet,” Membou said Thursday.
Membou’s immediate impact
Early in his college career, Membou realized that the NFL was a legitimate possibility for him. Playing in the SEC and facing off against NFL-ready edge rushers each week is never easy.
It certainly helped that Membou continued to succeed against those top players, though. Through his three-year journey with the Tigers, Membou was charged with just three sacks given up. He also made it clear that he did not give up a single sack during his final year in Missouri.
“It’s not accurate; you can go watch the film.”
Membou’s confidence is apparent right when you first speak with him. He says part of that confidence comes from preparation, along with his abilities and work ethic, which have helped him to this point.
While football was always the goal for the Lee’s Summit native, the 21-year-old was a multi-sport athlete growing up.
Membou stated that other sports paled in comparison to his work on the gridiron, but it was wrestling that helped him achieve some added tools in his arsenal.
“I say just one thing I took away is being able to drop levels and just change your leverage,” Membou said. “I was really good at spearing people, so I took that into my game when I run block, in getting down and getting low.”
Another star right tackle who used wrestling as a tool in high school and college was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL All-Pro Tristan Wirfs. The former 13th overall pick—who was available to the Jets when they chose Mekhi Becton at No. 11—has been one of the most consistent and dominant tackles ever since.
If the Jets can get Membou even close to what Wirfs has become, their offensive line could be among the best in the entire league.
However, New York has a long way to go before that happens, and Membou knows he has plenty of work to do to earn that charge. He’s ready to face this goal and task in his first year with the team.
Better yet, he’s eager to attack the challenge in and for his new home: the New York Jets.
