The New York Jets always wanted to draft Missouri right tackle Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick in the 2025 draft.
Not everyone around the league knew that, though.
As the days crept closer to the draft in late April, additional names, like edge rusher Jalon Walker and tackle Kelvin Banks, were tied to the team more than Membou. Some draft experts believed that the Missouri product would be taken before the Jets made their pick.
That didn’t end up happening, though. And New York is pleased their pre-draft silence worked out well for them.
Jets Played Coy During 2025 Draft
Head coach Aaron Glenn repeatedly spoke this offseason about his goal to have his team “move in silence” with limited leaks and reports coming out that detail the real plans of the Jets.
That has worked all offseason. It worked even better before the draft.
In an article detailing intel from all 32 teams following the draft, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler detailed just how interested the Jets were in Membou, and how pleased they were to see smoke around other prospects go through.
“In the days leading up to the draft, several executives were linking the Jets to offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. Wrong tackle. The Jets — who were aware of that perception and figured it was a good smoke screen — went with (Membou), whose length and football traits remind multiple scouts I trust of a young Jason Peters,” Fowler said. “‘We were fine with people guessing what we were going to do,’ said a team source, who added Membou is ‘just scratching the surface’ of his potential.
“The Jets aren’t overthinking this one: They are keeping Membou at right tackle, noticing that teams sometimes get in trouble when switching a lineman’s position too often.”
In the final years of the previous regime, anonymous leaks ran rampant throughout the facility. The locker room was fracturing apart, and people in the front office were looking for ways to save their own skin.
That isn’t happening anymore.
The Jets are truly moving in silence as an organization. They bolstered their offensive line in the draft, and came away with great players across the board later on.
It may not happen right away, but the Jets are acting like a new football team. That should thrill a fanbase and ownership group that are looking for any signs of a winner at this point.
