Armand Membou pick looks even smarter after latest NFL injury news

The New York Jets faced a familiar draft dilemma this spring. Should they take arguably the best tight end on the board or reinforce their offensive line? It was deja vu for a fanbase still divided over last year’s decision to pass on Brock Bowers in favor of Olu Fashanu.

This time, the debate centered around Penn State’s Tyler Warren and Missouri right tackle Armand Membou. The Jets chose the latter with the No. 7 pick, and less than two months later, that decision already looks even wiser.

According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, one of the most frequently mentioned post-draft tackle alternatives — a veteran free agent many fans hoped the Jets might sign — now plans to sit out most, if not all, of the 2025 season due to a lingering knee injury.

Schultz reported on Monday that former Cleveland Browns tackle Jedrick Wills appears unlikely to play in 2025 as he recovers from an injury that limited him to just five games last season.

Jets fans now have even more reason to love the Armand Membou pick

The debate between Membou and Warren was a real one leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. After the Jets passed on Bowers just a year ago in favor of Fashanu, some fans feared the team would make the same mistake twice.

But in a class that was deep at tight end and shallow at offensive tackle, the Jets opted for the premium position again, and with the benefit of hindsight, that looks like the right call.

While Warren was a popular pre-draft target for some fans, a sizable portion of the fanbase pushed for Membou or another tackle instead, noting the scarcity of viable offensive tackle options outside Round 1.

The tight end position, by contrast, offered multiple potential starters on Day 2, and the Jets capitalized, grabbing LSU’s Mason Taylor in the second round. Taylor, who will be given every opportunity to win the starting job this summer, headlines a thin depth chart that includes Jeremy Ruckert, Stone Smartt, Zack Kuntz, and Neal Johnson.

On the offensive line, the plan has always been clear: Olu Fashanu at left tackle, Membou on the other side. The Jets have built the bookends of their offensive line with two consecutive first-round picks.

One of the most commonly cited fallback options pre-draft was the aforementioned Jedrick Wills, a former top-10 pick whose career has been derailed by injuries and inconsistencies.

But Wills, who has started just 12 games over the last two seasons and posted back-to-back Pro Football Focus grades under 55, was never a reliable Plan B. Monday’s report only further underscores that fact.

The Jets took a risk by doubling down on the offensive line in back-to-back drafts, but with Membou locked in and the fallback options falling apart, that decision already looks like a win. Sometimes the smart move is the simple one.

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