Breaking down Jets’ top picks from 2025 NFL Draft

Darren Mougey and Aaron Glenn’s first draft, as the brain trust of the New York Jets, saw them come away with talents projected to become key contributors to the franchise’s turnaround.

Here is a look at some of their top picks.

Armand Membou (OT, Missouri) Round 1, No. 7

The Jets haven’t had a solidified offensive line since their back-to-back AFC Championship runs in 2010-2011. From left to right, they’ll trot out Olu Fashanu, John Simpson, Joe Tippmann, Alijah Vera-Tucker, and now Membou.

The Missouri product mauls in the passing game and is a true right tackle. He played every snap of his collegiate career at right tackle.

This offense will look different in 2025. They’re likely to move to a rush-first offense, with Justin Fields under center and Tanner Engstrand calling the plays.

With Breece Hall and Braelon Allen in the backfield, they’ll need an elite offensive line to move the football.

Mason Taylor (TE, LSU) Round 2, No. 42

Taylor, the son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, played three seasons for the LSU Tigers. In 2024, he recorded 546 yards, 55 catches, and two touchdowns. As a do-it-all tight end, he was also very solid in the blocking game.

New York will likely run the ball a ton, so having a tight end that can block when needed is huge, but he’ll be called on to catch some balls, especially in the red zone with his 6-foot-5, 251 lb frame.

His numbers don’t jump off the page at you, but the Jets haven’t had a solid tight end since the Dustin Keller days, and since then, the position has been a negative. Taylor joins an offense headlined by Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall, with solid playmakers like Josh Reynolds, Braelon Alle,n and Isaiah Davis.

Azareye’h Thomas (CB, Florida State) Round 3, No. 73

Even though the New York Jets signed defensive back Brandon Stephens to a three-year, $36 million contract, the departure of D.J. Reed in free agency put Gang Green in the market for a cornerback.

Thomas played three seasons of collegiate football and surrendered just four touchdowns. In 2024, he allowed 17 receptions on 33 targets for 141 yards, no touchdowns, and one interception.

He mainly lined up at corner, but gained experience in the slot, on the defensive line coming off the edge, in the box as a linebacker, and just one snap deep as a safety.

The 6-foot-2 defensive back is just 20 years old, so there’s plenty of room for development. Aaron Glenn has plenty of flexibility now with his secondary. With Sauce Gardner as his No. 1 and Michael Carter II in the slot, he can move Stephens to safety, where he started his career. Glenn can move Thomas to the outside, opposite of Gardner, or have him blitz the quarterback at times from the slot.

He’s a hard-nosed, physical corner who plays well in man coverage. He’s great at the line of scrimmage, pressing opposing receivers. The Detroit Lions played a lot of man coverage under Glenn, so the Jets will likely follow in their footsteps with Glenn at the helm.