With Morgan Moses off to New England, the New York Jets needed a placeholder right tackle before the NFL draft.
Their choice: Chukwuma Okorafor, whom they signed to a one-year, $1.34 million deal with $757.5K guaranteed. Okorafor was the only new tackle added by New York prior to the draft.
Ultimately, the Jets ended up drafting Armand Membou with the seventh overall pick, which should leave Okorafor in the backup swing tackle role.
Okorafor brings plenty of starting experience to the Jets’ second-string offensive line. A 2018 third-round pick of the Steelers, Okorafor started 59 of his 77 appearances across six seasons in Pittsburgh. He was the team’s primary starting right tackle from 2020 until midway through the 2023 season.
However, Pittsburgh did not view Okorafor as a viable long-term starting option, as they used a first-round pick on Broderick Jones to replace him. Okorafor moved on to the New England Patriots in 2024, signing a one-year, $4 million deal.
Okorafor’s tenure in New England was short and anything but sweet. He started at left tackle in the season opener (marking his first career start at the position), but he performed so poorly to begin the game that he was benched after 12 snaps.
The following week, Okorafor refused to show up to practice, and the Patriots placed him on the exempt/left squad list. This meant he was not allowed to play for the rest of the season.
Can the Jets trust Okorafor as their top backup at tackle? How well did he actually play during his tenure as Pittsburgh’s starting right tackle?
Only the film can answer those questions.
Below is Blewett’s Blitz’s full Chukwuma Okorafor scouting report (strengths and weaknesses) and film review.
🚨 To view this member-only premium content, you must be a Jet X Member and logged in to your Jet X Account.
✅ Get Started to check out the membership options and become a member (note: bookmark this article/page so you can return to it more easily):
📲 Log In if you are already a member (note: you should be redirected back to this article/page after logging in):
📲 Connect if you would like to create a free account before taking the official Jet X Membership plunge:
❗️ Becoming a Jet X Member unlocks every piece of subscriber content on the site, provides an ad-free website and mobile app experience, and grants access to the Offseason Simulator. Utilizing one of our Discount Codes (promoted in various New York Jets-centric places) provide significant value. Feel free to try out our 30-day free trial option at any point:
