Reporting from the Atlantic Health Jets Center in Florham Park, NJ—New York Jets head coach Aaron Glenn has tried to build a reputation as a no-nonsense and intense individual since he was hired in January.
Even he couldn’t contain his excitement with how the 2025 NFL draft went for the Jets.
New York drafted Missouri tackle Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick Thursday night. The selection puts the finishing touches around the Jets’ offensive line, which has taken four linemen within the first two rounds in four of the last five picks.
Glenn wasn’t around for most of those picks, but he sees a current All-Pro star in the player he did take.
Aaron Glenn makes Penei Sewell comparison
Membou is a massive athlete. Although he is only 21 years old, his 6-foot-4, 332-pound frame makes him one of the biggest and most athletic offensive linemen in this year’s class.
There are many current offensive linemen to whom Membou draws comparisons. Lance Zuerlein of NFL Network compared Membou to Zach Tom. Others compared his upside to the likes of future Hall-of-Famer Jason Peters.
Glenn has a different idea, though. Speaking to reporters after making the selection, Glenn immediately compared taking Membou to when he was with the Detroit Lions and saw the organization draft Penei Sewell as the organization’s first pick of the new regime.
Much like Sewell, Membou was the seventh overall pick of his draft class and is joining a team in the Jets that has filled most of its offensive line room. They just needed a right tackle.
That’s where Glenn believes Membou comes into play.
It’s more than just their draft status that compares Membou to the now All-Pro in Sewell. Glenn has made it clear that there’s a reason why the team is so excited to draft him.
“The mentality and the demeanor of the player [are] exactly the same,” Glenn said Thursday night. “That’s what attracted me to that player first and foremost, and then you start seeing, athletically, how he moves, and then that attracts you. When you get a chance to talk to the player and get to know exactly who he is as a person, that attracts you also, so it was like a perfect storm on that guy being a Jet.”
It’s almost eerie how similar the Jets’ selection of Membou is to that of Detroit with Sewell. Much like the Lions, the Jets are bringing in a no-nonsense head coach to try and end their years of losing.
They also took a lineman instead of a skill player. (Detroit had a chance at DeVonta Smith at the pick but chose Sewell instead.)
The similarities may be endless, but Glenn no longer cares about that. And if Membou wants to get anywhere close to what Sewell has become, he’ll have to work extremely hard to earn playing time in the future.
