The Jets enjoyed the quiet. No crazy offseason drama. No wild splashes in free agency.
It’s been, for the first time in a long time, a headline-free few months.
The draft felt like that, too.
The Jets stuck to their board. They took the best players available at positions of need.
How did they do?
Here’s the report card….
No. 7 pick: Armand Membou, T, Missouri
Offensive line was far from a weakness for the Jets. They had a hole at right tackle, but it’s easily maskable when you consider their other four pieces. What they desperately need are playmakers. That’s what made Penn State TE Tyler Warren or Arizona WR Tet McMillan more appealing options, personally, at No. 7.
With that said: You can’t fault them for going with Membou.
Aaron Glenn came from Detroit. He was their defensive coordinator, but coached against an offense daily that became one of the best in the NFL in large part because of their offensive line. This Jets line now has the chance to be the best in the entire league. They’ve certainly invested the resources in making that happen.
Olu Fashanu (left tackle), Alijah Vera-Tucker (guard) and Membou are first-round picks. Joe Tippmann (center) came in the second round. John Simpson (guard) was a priority free-agent signing. There’s an elite-level potential with that group the Jets have not experienced in years.
Grade: B+
Round 2, Pick No. 42: TE Mason Taylor, LSU
Luther Burden or Jayden Higgins would have been nice picks for the Jets — either could have taken attention away from Garrett Wilson. This team is still in dire need of a legitimate No. 2 receiver. With both off the board, though, the Jets got the next best thing in Taylor.
Taylor is long and athletic. He has the ability to develop into a playmaker.
The Jets were in dire need of a new tight end after losing Tyler Conklin to free agency. Jeremy Ruckert is on the roster still and is a solid blocker, but brings very little in the pass game. One source said he still does need to develop strength in order to be a complete tight end, but he’ll contribute from the jump.
Grade: B
Round 3, Pick No. 73: CB Azareye’h Thomas, FSU
The Jets lost D.J. Reed in free agency. They signed Brandon Stevens to replace him, and believe in his upside, but there are legitimate concerns with what he’ll actually be able to accomplish after an up-and-down tenure with the Ravens. Thomas gives the Jets another player to develop who fits the big, press-man mold defensive coordinator Steve Wilks loves. He struggles quite a bit in zone.
Grade: B
Round 4, pick No. 110: WR Arian Smith, Georgia
This one feels like it might have been a bit of a reach for the Jets, as most sources SNY touched base with had Smith as an undrafted option. The third day of the draft is where you take chances based off physical attributes.
Smith’s 4.36 40-yard dash showed he has speed you can’t coach. His hands (10 drops a year ago) are an issue, but if the Jets can work with him on that, there’s potential here.
The Jets don’t really have a deep threat in their passing attack. Malachi Corley is their slot, Allen Lazard a big body and Garrett Wilson the do-it-all. Smith averaged 17 yards per catch last year.
Grade: C
Round 4, pick No. 130: Malachi Moore
Moore is a high character player who projects to be a tweener at safety. He started as a freshman for Nick Saban, which is quite the accomplishment. He finished last season with 70 tackles, a sack and two interceptions. The two biggest concerns with Moore are how he projects in man coverage versus NFL receivers and his speed, which limits his range. He should exel on special teams.
Grade: B
Round 5, pick No. 162: Francisco Mauigoa
You like to see players with freak athletic traits drafted in these spots — that’s sort of Mauigoa. He’s a bigger guy (6-2, 233) who still ran a 4.6 40-yard dash. He also finished with a 75 athleticism score, per NFL.com. He had 96 tackles a season ago. He can contribute on special teams.
Most projected him as a seventy-round pick, though, so he’s a bit of a reach in the fifth round.
Grade: C
Round 5, pick No. 176: Tyler Baron
Baron is a 6’5″, 258-pound pass rusher. He had 11.5 sacks the last two years at Tennessee (2023) and Miami (2024). He ran a 4.62 40-yard dash and had a 71 athleticism score. Miami used to kick him inside in passing situations, similar to how the Jets used former defensive end John Franklin-Myers.
Grade: B
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