Five games into his NFL career, Jets rookie tackle Armand Membou has already made a big impression on fans, the media and his coaches and teammates. The way he has held up in matchups with top-level players like TJ Watt and Joey Bosa has definitely been one of the bright spots of the season so far.
The 21-year old, who was selected with the seventh overall pick in April’s draft, is already garnering all-rookie buzz and receiving good grades from columnists and analytical sites.
Membou told the media on Thursday that he feels like he has made a solid start to the season, but acknowledges there is always room for improvement.
“I’m just trying to still get better and help the team get their first win,” he said.
Last week’s game could be seen as a learning opportunity for the rookie after he was flagged for four penalties, each for a different infraction. Membou described the performance as “up and down” but recognized the need to turn it around this week.
Specifically in terms of limiting penalties in future, Membou said he needs to retain focus and concentrate on “being locked-in and being more disciplined with my play.”
Although he’s only started five games at the NFL level, Membou is already making a big impression on his linemates.
“I’m so impressed with Membou,” starting center Josh Myers said on Friday, “Having to come in and start as a rookie is a lot and his ability to handle all of it and physically be able to do it, I’m really impressed with.”
Myers appreciates how difficult this is, having done it himself. He won the starting job and was the opening day starter for the Packers as a rookie in 2021, although a knee injury limited him to six starts.
With Membou on the right and Olu Fashanu on the left, the Jets are lucky to have two talented youngsters at the tackle position and Myers expressed confidence that they were doing everything necessary to develop into top-level players.
“Those two are awesome,” he said, “They care, they work hard, they study, they are great people, both of them.”
Myers sees shades of one of the league’s top tackles in Membou, having seen a former teammate come into the league as a rookie and work to become an elite player.
While he noted that Membou has a different temperament in terms of personality, he compared him to his former teammate: “Just as a player [Membou] kinda reminds me of Zach Tom from Green Bay a little bit just with his ability to move and how smart he is.”
Tom was drafted in the fourth round ahead of Myers’ second season in 2022 and the pair started 38 games together over the past three seasons. He was rewarded for his solid play with a contract worth $22 million per year during the offseason.
As Membou continues to develop, everyone plays a role in ensuring he and Fashanu keep trending in the right direction. While Myers noted that it would mostly be the older tackles and coaching staff that would work with them, all the starters would play their part, noting that it “just depends on the question they’ve got or what they need to work on.”
Sunday will be another difficult game for the offensive line, as the Jets face a Denver Broncos front that has been among the league leader in sacks for three straight seasons. Membou plans to be ready though, noting that “The o-line knows the challenge that we’ve got this week and we’re ready to attack it.”
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