The 10 best offensive linemen in the history of the New York Jets

The NY Jets have a long and illustrious history of talented offensive linemen. While the Jets haven't always fielded the most impressive offenses throughout their history, the team has always seemed to have good offensive lines, at least during their periods of sustained success.

From the Jets' various star-studded centers to the team's multiple Pro Football Hall of Famers, compiling a list of the best offensive linemen in franchise history wasn't an easy task.

There are bound to be notable and deserving players left off a list such as this. Before we begin, an honorable mention shoutout must go to the likes of Dan Alexander and Brandon Moore, both of whom just barely missed out on this list. It feels wrong to leave them off, but the competition was steep.

Let's take a look at the criteria we used to rank the best offensive linemen in Jets history.

Criteria for selection

As with every all-time list, there isn't one single metric that can be used to determine the "best" offensive linemen in a team's history. The lack of reliable offensive line statistical tracking makes putting together such a list even more challenging.

There are accurate accounts of sacks and pressures allowed throughout NFL history. Pro Football Focus grades didn't exist when Joe Namath was leading the Jets to a Super Bowl.

For the purposes of this list, we will be ranking these players based on a combination of team success, individual success, awards, accolades, longevity, memorable moments, overall impact, etc.

This list will include all offensive linemen regardless of specific position, but it will only take into account their contributions as a member of the Jets. That's why someone like Alan Faneca, who was a Hall of Famer in his own right, doesn't make the cut.

The top 10 offensive linemen in NY Jets history

10. John Schmitt

It was a really challenging task to rank the final few spots on this list. You can very easily make the argument that John Schmitt deserves to be a couple of spots higher or even lower, but we settled with him at the No. 10 spot.

Schmitt was the first in a long line of outstanding Jets centers, many of whom you will see on this list, as the Hofstra product was the team's starting center in Super Bowl III.

Schmitt played 116 games over 10 years with the Jets, earning second-team All-AFL honors in both 1968 and 1969. The Brooklyn native was a key part of the Jets' dominant offensive line of that era, helping set the tone up front and lead a stellar Jets ground game.

From an undrafted rookie on the Jets' taxi squad to a team captain, Super Bowl champion, and franchise legend, Schmitt absolutely deserves his place among the organization's best offensive linemen.

9. Dave Herman

From one Super Bowl starter to another, Dave Herman started alongside Schmitt for years as the Jets' star right guard. Herman started just shy of 120 games over 10 years with the Jets between 1964 and 1973.

A two-time AFL All-Star, Herman was instrumental in the Jets' ability to not only make it to Super Bowl III but win the whole thing. That's because then-head coach Weeb Ewbank made the controversial decision to slide Herman to right tackle, a position he hadn't played since his rookie year, for the game.

Herman stepped in and did an excellent job limiting Baltimore Colts star defensive end Bubba Smith, allowing the Jets to win their first and so far only championship

Herman's Super Bowl heroics and decade-long career as a rock-solid starter easily earn him a place on this list, and you can probably argue he deserves to be a couple of spots higher.

8. Jim Sweeney

Spoiler alert: a whopping five of the 10 players on this list are centers. The Jets have been blessed with phenomenal center play over the years, and Jim Sweeney was one of the best.

A model of consistency and durability throughout his career, Sweeney started 158 consecutive games with the Jets from his rookie season in 1984 until the end of his Jets tenure in 1994.

Sweeney began his career as a left guard before moving to left tackle for a few years until he finally settled on the center position in 1988. The Jets only made one playoff game during Sweeney's time as a starting center, so his contributions tend to get overlooked.

He never made a Pro Bowl nor did he earn All-Pro honors, likely due to a lackluster offense around him, but Sweeney's 166 career games are 11th among all players in Jets history. His longevity, consistency, and durability make him more than deserving of a spot.

7. Randy Rasmussen

Speaking of longevity, no player on this list (or arguably in Jets history) compares to Randy Rasmussen in that aspect. Another member of the Jets' Super Bowl offensive line, Rasmussen appeared in an incredible 207 career games for the Jets over 15 years.

Only kick Pat Leahy has appeared in more games as a member of the Jets than the team's starting left guard in Super Bowl III. A 12th-round pick in the 1967 AFL Draft, Rasmussen not only made the team as a rookie but went on to start all 14 games.

Rasmussen helped the Jets win a Super Bowl before sticking with the organization for 11 consecutive seasons without a winning record. He was the last remaining member of that Super Bowl III roster to retire when he called it quits following the 1981 season.

From opening holes for Matt Snell to playing alongside a rookie Freeman McNeil, Randy Rasmussen exemplifies what it means to be a "career Jet." His years of service to the organization make him one of the greatest players in franchise history.

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6. D'Brickashaw Ferguson

It's impossible to talk about consistency and durability without mentioning the name D'Brickashaw Ferguson. The fourth overall pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, Ferguson started 160 consecutive games as a member of the Jets between 2006 and 2015.

The Virginia product is most famous for quite literally never missing a single snap in his entire NFL career due to injury. Ferguson was on the field for 10,707 of 10,708 possible snaps in his career, with the only exception coming on a trick play at the end of a 2008 game.

Ferguson made three consecutive Pro Bowls between 2009 and 2011 and was a key part of the excellent Jets' offensive line that carried the team to consecutive AFC Championship Games.

To many Jets fans growing up in the 2000s and 2010s, Ferguson will forever be the measuring stick for left tackles. It's honestly a shame he doesn't rank even higher on this list, but that just speaks to the caliber of his competition.

5. Joe Fields

After John Schmitt and before Jim Sweeney, there was Joe Fields. A 14th-round pick in the 1975 NFL Draft, Fields made the Jets' roster as a rookie and took over the team's starting center job in his second season.

Fields would go on to start 155 games over 13 seasons with the Jets, earning Pro Bowl honors in 1981 and 1982 and All-Pro honors on three separate occasions. An undersized center even for his time, Fields was as technically sound as any center in football at the time.

Fields helped anchor a stout Jets offensive line and a dominant rushing attack led by star running back Freeman McNeil. It was Fields who helped McNeil reach the heights that he did.

Lining up across from close friend Joe Klecko in practice for years evidently helped both players become franchise building blocks and Jets legends. Don't let the other great Jets centers distract from how impressive Fields was throughout his career.

4. Marvin Powell

Marvin Powell is the greatest right tackle in Jets history, that much really isn't up for debate. Powell's prime might not have been as long as some others on this list, but at his peak, he was the best right tackle in the NFL.

The fourth overall pick in the 1977 NFL Draft, Powell started 123 games over nine seasons with the Jets between 1977 and 1985. Powell was named to five consecutive Pro Bowls between 1979 and 1983, anchoring one of the best offensive lines in the NFL at the time.

The USC legend also earned All-Pro honors in four straight seasons between 1979 and 1982, three of which he was voted first-team All-Pro. Only one player in Jets history, linebacker Larry Grantham, has earned more first-team All-Pro nods.

Powell is also one of just two Jets offensive linemen, alongside Randy Rasmussen, to be named the team's MVP in a season, his coming in 1979. His peak is as impressive as any offensive lineman in Jets history.

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3. Nick Mangold

There's probably no more beloved offensive lineman in Jets history than Nick Mangold. In fact, you could make a very strong case that he's one of the most beloved players at any position to ever don the green and white.

The 29th overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Mangold started all 164 career games for the Jets over 11 years between 2006 and 2016. His resume includes seven Pro Bowl berths and three All-Pro honors, including consecutive first-team All-Pro nods in 2009 and 2010.

Alongside the likes of D'Brickashaw Ferguson, Brandon Moore, and Damien Woody, Mangold anchored the Jets offensive line that helped the team reach back-to-back AFC Championship Games.

Mangold was one of the best centers of his era, a Jets Ring of Honor member, and a potential future Pro Football Hall of Famer. If not for the next player on our list, he'd be the undisputed best center in Jets history.

2. Kevin Mawae

Of all the incredible centers to have played football for the Jets over the years, Kevin Mawae stands out among them all as the best. You could probably argue that Nick Mangold means more to the organization, but there's no question who the better player was.

Mawae signed with the Jets prior to the 1998 season after a promising start to his career in Seattle, but it wasn't until he joined Gang Green that his career began to flourish. Over the next eight years, Mawae would establish himself as one of the greatest centers to ever play the sport.

The future Hall of Famer made six consecutive Pro Bowls and six All-Pro teams in seven years with the Jets. His 118 career games as a member of the Jets is actually the second-fewest on this list, but perhaps no other offensive lineman was as dominant as Mawae was in New York.

A cornerstone of the Bill Parcells Jets rosters, Mawae was the best center of his era and one of the best centers in NFL history. He'd earn the No. 1 spot on most teams' top offensive lineman lists, but he falls just short on this one.

1. Winston Hill

Kevin Mawae may have been the more dominant player at his peak, but Winston Hill is the greatest offensive lineman in Jets history. The starting left tackle for the Jets in Super Bowl III, Hill is one of the most indispensable players to ever suit up for the team.

Hill is arguably the most decorated player in franchise history, having made eight AFL All-Star Games/Pro Bowls throughout his legendary 14-year career in New York. His 174 consecutive games started ranks 10th-longest among all players in pro football history.

Only four players in Jets history have appeared in more games than Hill, and none of the others above him (Pat Leahy, Randy Rasmussen, and Kyle Clifton) came close to reaching the heights he did in his Hall of Fame career. After starting at left tackle for the first half of his career, Hill would slide over to right tackle in 1971, and he didn't miss a beat.

Hill doesn't have the same All-Pro accolades that Mawae does. He's not necessarily in the conversation for the best all-time player at his position. But Hill's longevity and overall impact on the organization surpass what his peers accomplished.

He's a Super Bowl champion, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, and one of the most important players in Jets history. Winston Hill is the best Jets offensive lineman of all time.

The 10 best offensive linemen in NY Jets history by games played