NY Jets just made their smartest pick in years with Armand Membou

For once, the New York Jets didn’t overthink it. With a gaping hole at right tackle and a ready-made solution staring them in the face, the Jets made the obvious (and smartest) move by selecting Missouri’s Armand Membou with the No. 7 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Membou, a three-year starter in the SEC and one of the most consistent linemen in college football, gives the Jets a plug-and-play answer at right tackle opposite Olu Fashanu. It’s a pairing that could anchor the team's offensive line for the next decade.

After Morgan Moses walked in free agency and stopgap veteran Chukwuma Okorafor was brought in as insurance, Membou represents the long-term solution this team desperately needed.

For a new regime led by Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, this pick isn’t just about need — it’s about identity. The Jets are building through the trenches, protecting their new quarterback, Justin Fields, and finally committing to stability up front.

Armand Membou is the boring, home-run draft pick the NY Jets needed

The best draft picks are the ones that solve today’s problems without creating new ones tomorrow. That’s exactly what Armand Membou brings to the Jets. He’s not just a solution for the team’s glaring vacancy at right tackle — he’s a long-term investment in the foundation of this offense.

The Jets needed a plug-and-play starter on the right side, and Membou, one of the fastest risers in this class after a standout NFL Combine showing, fits the bill as well as anyone.

But what makes this pick especially smart is how it aligns with the Jets’ broader roster construction. For the first time in years, the offensive line is no longer one of the weakest links of the organization.

With Olu Fashanu, Joe Tippmann, John Simpson, and Alijah Vera-Tucker, the Jets have four capable starters already under contract for 2025, all under the age of 28. That core gives the Jets rare continuity and youth up front, something few teams can claim. Membou slides into the one remaining hole and completes the group.

That stability, however, could be fleeting. Both starting guards, Simpson and Vera-Tucker, are set to hit free agency after the 2025 season. It’s unlikely the Jets will be able to retain both, especially if they repeat their strong 2024 campaigns.

Membou’s experience and skillset offer flexibility for the future. While he’s a tackle first, his frame and athleticism could allow him to shift inside if needed down the road. Some teams even believe his best NFL fit is as an offensive guard.

More than anything, Membou is the type of foundational piece this new regime clearly values. For a team trying to protect a newly acquired quarterback in Justin Fields while forging a new identity under head coach Aaron Glenn, Membou represents a pick that’s equal parts safe and ambitious.

It also mirrors the approach taken by Glenn’s former team, the Detroit Lions, whose new regime made a similar move in 2021 by drafting Oregon’s Penei Sewell to solidify the right side of their line.

That pick helped lay the foundation for what has since become one of the NFL’s best offensive lines and a cornerstone of Detroit’s turnaround. The Jets are hoping Membou can help them establish a similar identity.

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