Week 1 proved the Jets drafted their right tackle of the future

The bright lights of an NFL debut can expose flaws, but in Week 1, New York Jets rookie right tackle Armand Membou looked every bit like the punishing, tone-setting blocker he was billed to be.

Missouri-born and raised as a kid out of Lee's Summit, Membou has been defeating narratives since high school, and his first start against the Steelers only reinforced the idea that the Jets may have landed a foundational piece up front.

Labeled as an interior prospect for most of his career, after three years at Missouri and a laundry list of high-quality starts, he had proven himself too athletic, too strong, and frankly too refined in his fundamentals to be boxed into labels.

On Sunday, in his NFL debut, he carried those same qualities onto the NFL-branded turf.

Brick wall in the making: Armand Membou debuts for the Jets

What immediately popped on Sunday was the very trait that had made Membou such a headlining prospect last spring: his ability to slide and shuffle at 300-plus pounds.

Against Pittsburgh’s aggressive front, Membou showcased that rare blend of posture and body control that allows him to both displace defenders on the playside and lock out backside pursuit.

The Jets’ wide-zone run game with Breece Hall looked tailor-made for him, where the violence and finish in every block became part of the identity of the offense.

Membou’s ability in space also translated seamlessly. He climbs to the second level with poise, never losing his aggression in tracking down linebackers. That balance — controlled footwork paired with the nastiness to finish — helped spring chunk gains for New York’s backs, even when the Steelers loaded the box.

Pass protection, as expected, brought a different sort of test. Often in the form of future Hall of Famer T.J. Watt. But Membou looked comfortable, his feet and hands worked together nicely, and whether he was vertical setting, jump setting, or simply playing the inside spin of Watt, he looked more than a rookie.

That’s the exciting part for the Jets. What Membou put on tape this weekend is only the beginning. Even with areas to refine, he already looks like an instant-impact starter, a “start-and-forget” lineman who can hold his own at tackle or slide inside if asked. The fundamentals are too strong, the athletic traits too evident, for him to be anything less than reliable.

For a Jets team desperate to protect its quarterback and unlock the ground game, Membou’s debut hinted at stability where it matters most. He didn’t just hold his own against a Steelers defense built to feast on linemen — he showed why he was a top 10 pick in April, and an immediate piece for the now and future in New York.

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