Reporting live from New York Jets HQ in Florham Park, NJ—It is incredibly hard for rookie tight ends to make an impact on their teams over their first few months with the organization. New York Jets second round pick Mason Taylor is no exception.
The son of Hall-of-Fame edge rusher Jason Taylor, Mason was LSU’s all-time leading receiver at the tight end position in all categories. At just 21 years old, New York believes the sky is the limit for the young tight end.
But just how good can Taylor be in his first year with the organization?
With so much to learn, it was hard to envision Taylor entering the summer as the team’s clear-cut starter for Week 1.
Since the beginning of OTAs, though, it’s clear that those early concerns are no longer.
Jets Not Just Thrilled With Taylor’s Receiving
A big part of any tight end’s learning curve is their knowledge and development in the run game. Most tight ends at the NFL level can run routes and catch the football.
The great ones are excellent blockers as well. Coming out of the 2025 draft, that aspect of Taylor’s game was considered his weak link.
Things have changed, though. His development at Jets OTAs has been stark, and his improvement in run-blocking as excited his head coach.
“I think he’s been doing an outstanding job in that aspect,” Aaron Glenn explained. “And it’s not just the pass catching, because that’s what you guys see, that’s what you guys really think is an aha moment, but it’s the blocking to me is what really gets me going.”
Taylor made multiple catches in the passing game throughout Tuesday’s OTA practice. What was more impressive, though, was his ability to block throughout the day.
On one particular play, Taylor went up against free agent edge rusher Rashad Weaver. The veteran had dominated for most of the day against young tackles, but struggled to get past Taylor for a few seconds on this rep.
It’s that kind of potential, athleticism, and tenacity that makes Taylor a player New York seemingly trusts right off the bat.
“I know what he can do in the passing game, but for him to come out and do the things he’s doing in the run game, even though you can’t do a lot of running because it’s not a physical part of the season,” Glenn said. “Him understanding exactly what he’s supposed to do and the position, the body language, the leverage, all those things, man I really love that when it comes to the run game.”
Time will tell if Taylor can make an impact for the Jets early in his first season with the team. It is usually incredibly hard to do for rookie tight ends across the league.
But if the son of a Hall-of-Famer produces during camp anything similar to what he has done at OTAs, the Jets won’t just be thrilled, they may have come away with the best tight end in the entire 2025 draft class.
At just 21, everything is on the table for the young prospect.
