NY Jets player believes Alijah Vera-Tucker is a future Hall of Famer

Justin Fried

NY Jets, Alijah Vera-Tucker / Joe Sargent/GettyImages

It's hard to undersell the value that Alijah Vera-Tucker has brought to the NY Jets this season. The former first-round pick has started at three different positions in just five weeks and he's done so at a high level without thinking twice.

Vera-Tucker has received praise for his contributions from around the NFL with many calling on the former USC star to receive strong Pro Bowl and All-Pro consideration this season.

One of his fellow teammates, center Connor McGovern, took it a step further when discussing Vera-Tucker's play following the Jets' 40-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Week 5.

McGovern suggested that Vera-Tucker could be a future Jets Ring of Honor member and Hall of Famer if he continues on his current trajectory.

"In my opinion, AVT is a future Ring of Famer. If not a Ring of Famer, a Hall of Famer. The dude’s a freak. He’s the epitome of a great offensive lineman."
Connor McGovern

Alijah Vera-Tucker is proving his value to the NY Jets in 2022

The 14th overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, Vera-Tucker started 16 games for the Jets as a rookie at left guard and he seemed to have found a home there. That was until the Jets signed Pro Bowl guard Laken Tomlinson in the offseason, prompting Vera-Tucker to switch sides.

The second-year guard went along with the position switch and seemed to embrace his new role. In fact, Vera-Tucker was one of the highest-graded guards in the NFL through the first few weeks of the season.

However, a slew of injuries at the offensive tackle position promoted yet another switch. This time, the Jets asked Vera-Tucker to play left tackle for the team's Week 4 matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Vera-Tucker hadn't played left tackle since college and was never regarded as a player who would thrive at tackle in the NFL. Despite this, Vera-Tucker stepped into the starting left tackle role and excelled.

But what Vera-Tucker did in Week 5 against the Miami Dolphins is what best exemplifies his extraordinary talent. Despite never playing the position in his life (at any level of football), Vera-Tucker slid over to right tackle and started in place of the injured Max Mitchell.

Not only that, but Vera-Tucker was one of just three offensive tackles in the entire NFL to finish with a Pro Football Focus pass-rush and run-block grade north of 76.0 in Week 5. He was legitimately one of the best tackles in the league this past week despite playing a position he had never played before.

That's Hall of Fame-type stuff, as McGovern suggested.

What Alijah Vera-Tucker has done for the Jets this season is nothing short of miraculous. If he keeps it up, the sky is the limit as far as his future trajectory is concerned.

Justin Fried

Justin Fried is an editor for FanSided who has over seven years of experience covering the NFL and various other sports. A diehard Jets fan since birth, Justin has served as the editor for The Jet Press since 2019, interviewing athletes such as Sauce Gardner, Curtis Martin, LaDainian Tomlinson, Joe Klecko, and many others. Justin has also worked closely with brands like Red Bull to help highlight the niche sectors of the sporting world. His four-part series on the sport of breaking remains one of his proudest pieces of work. In his spare time, Justin is an avid pro wrestling fan who is fortunate enough to have traveled to nearly 30 different countries.