Going on Year 7 with the New York Jets, Quinnen Williams still hasn’t had a consistent presence beside him on the interior.
That could be the case once again in 2025. This offseason, the Jets did not make any substantial additions to their interior defensive line, leaving the position as questionable as it has ever looked in Williams’ career.
While the Jets do not have many young prospects at the position, there is one who fans are hopeful can break out in his second season: Leonard Taylor.
The 23-year-old joined the Jets as an undrafted free agent out of Miami in 2024. A former five-star recruit out of high school, Taylor was pegged as a first-round pick in some mock drafts entering the 2024 college football season. However, his stock plummeted after a disappointing year, and he landed in New York post-draft.
Taylor made the Jets’ 53-man roster and played 14 games in his rookie season. He played 261 snaps (18.6 per game).
In his limited time, Taylor showed flashes of potential. He recorded 24 total tackles (four for loss), 1.5 sacks, four quarterback hits, and a pass deflection. Taylor’s explosiveness jumped off the screen as he burst into the backfield for multiple big plays.
With New York’s interior defensive line featuring many players in their mid-to-late twenties, Taylor is the Jets’ best hope to break out and become an above-average starter next to Williams. Does he have a legitimate chance to pull it off? Or is he further away than fans would like to think?
Only the film can answer those questions.
Below is Blewett’s Blitz’s full Leonard Taylor film review, breaking down his strengths and weaknesses from the 2024 season and where he must improve in 2025.