2025 NFL Draft Grades: New York Jets

Best Pick: I love second-round tight end Mason Taylor. He is going to be a big-time pass catcher in their offense. They needed that in the worst way.

Worst Pick: I get the pick of tackle Armand Membou in the first, but I didn't love his tape as much as most analysts did. He's raw. There is talent, but he needs some work.

The Skinny: They added some good football players in Membou, Taylor and third-round corner Azareye'h Thomas. But they all have some questions. I do like fourth-round safety Malachi Moore. He will be a nice player.

Top needs entering the draft: Offensive tackle, tight end and wide receiver

The Aaron Rodgers era is over in New York, and the Jets are on to Justin Fields, who signed a two-year, $40 million deal with $30 million guaranteed. But to have any hope of avoiding a 15th straight season without the playoffs, they had to get more help on offense around Fields at the draft. They were 20th in yards per play last season (5.2), and the arrow wasn't necessarily pointing up coming out of free agency after losing Davante Adams, Morgan Moses and Tyler Conklin.

New GM Darren Mougey and new coach Aaron Glenn didn't waste any time, though, tackling one of the roster's biggest issues with Armand Membou. He will replace Moses at right tackle, joining Olu Fashanu to form a really good tackle duo. You might see "right tackle" and think run blocker, and yes, he's good in that department. But Membou also has the quickness and pop to improve the pass protection in a hurry.

Looking at the Jets' options in Round 1, I was between Membou and tight end Tyler Warren. New York went Membou, but it got Mason Taylor on Friday. Consider that Jets tight ends averaged 8.1 yards per reception last season, last in the league. Fields excels at throwing to his tight ends, and Taylor is a reliable pass catcher. He has 6-foot-5 size to come down with end zone throws and the route-running traits to pick up key first downs.

Cornerback Azareye'h Thomas is strong in press coverage and has the speed to stick on receivers. The Jets will use him opposite Sauce Gardner. Getting him at No. 73 represents value, too. I had Thomas ranked 47th, and he probably would have been a first-rounder if he ran better at his pro day.

Those three picks were the start of an "A" draft class. But the Day 3 picks didn't muster much. Receiver Arian Smith has speed, but his hands aren't consistent. I had him ranked as WR33. Jalen Royals, Elic Ayomanor and Jaylin Lane were still available when Smith went No. 110. Edge rusher Tyler Baron is a decent fifth-rounder, but the Jets didn't maximize those four picks in the fourth and fifth rounds.

There's nothing super flashy about the Jets' draft, but I thought their first three picks in particular were rock solid. Missouri tackle Armand Membou completes the team's remodel on the offensive line, and dropping him in at right tackle gives New York a real chance to field one of the best young lines in the league. LSU tight end Mason Taylor is an athletic and reliable do-it-all playmaker, bringing strong hands in the pass game with burgeoning blocking chops in the run game. And cornerback Azareye'h could be an early starter for this team. The former Florida State standout is long and aggressive, showing a penchant for crowding receivers at the line and outmuscling them in their routes. This team badly needed an infusion of early contributors in this draft, and it looks like they achieved that goal.

Aaron Glenn saw firsthand with the Detroit Lions what a dominant offensive line can do for a club, and the first-round selection of Armand Membou reflects a desire for physicality over flash. Membou's seek-and-destroy playing style as a run-blocker is a nice complement to a running game centered around Justin Fields and Breece Hall. Speaking of Fields, he leaned heavily on playmaking tight ends in his previous NFL stops, and the Jets landed arguably the most sure-handed big pass-catcher of this class with Mason Taylor.

Glenn, a former cornerback himself, knows better than most that 40-yard dash times can be overrated and that the highly physical and instinctive Azareye'h Thomas plays faster than he timed. He'll prove a steal at No. 73 overall. Of the Jets' Day 3 picks, I liked the awareness and physicality of safety Malachi Moore and Francisco Mauigoa most.

Here's why: The Jets continued to beef up their offensive line with Armand Membou, who can stay on the right side and gives New York potentially one of the best pair of bookend tackles in the league. Mason Taylor checks a lot of boxes at the tight end spot. He's a reliable receiver, especially underneath and in the intermediate areas, and is a solid blocker who has kept improving. He's reliable at a position where the Jets haven't had a lot of reliability. Azareye'h Thomas is a big corner who replaces D.J. Reed and gives Sauce Gardner a potential long-term running mate. Head coach Aaron Glenn loves physical (you could even say handsy) cornerbacks and Thomas fits that to a tee. Malachi Moore is another personality fit and gives the Jets a physical hitter at safety.

Most interesting pick: Arian Smith, WR, Georgia

This one had me turning my head a bit. Smith can fly and take the top off of the defense. He has good ball-tracking skills downfield and should open up the offense. He is a raw route-runner who also has unreliable hands, and I thought there were some more polished options at receiver when the Jets took Smith. But, he can go deep and Justin Fields likes to throw deep, so that should be fun.

Notable that they hired a defensive-minded coach — and one of the best corners in franchise history — in Aaron Glenn only to opt for an offensive-centric draft, and one that seemed modeled on the Lions blueprint Glenn saw work so well as their defensive coordinator. First-round RT Armand Membou and second-round TE Mason Taylor, son of former Jets OLB Jason Taylor, should either provide immediate help to new QB Justin Fields ... or whomever replaces him in a year or two. Third-round CB Azareye'h Thomas will be tested opposite Sauce Gardner but represents good value. Fourth-round WR Arian Smith is pure speed, which could open the field for Mason and WR Garrett Wilson. Glenn and rookie GM Darren Mougey nicely drove the fairway on their first tee shot.

The Jets had to fix their offensive woes in this draft, and they did so by targeting that unit with three of their first four picks. Membou is arguably the best tackle in this class and should slide in as a starter at right tackle. Taylor was thought to be a borderline first-round talent and slid to New York in the second, giving the team another immediate starter. Defensively, Thomas is a nice value pick as well, and will have time to develop behind Sauce Gardner and Brandon Stephens.

All three of the Jets' first three picks were home runs. Offensive tackle Armand Membou, tight end Mason Taylor, and cornerback Azareye'h Thomas - all were positions of need, and all were arguably the top player on the board at the time of selection. Reaching for wide receiver Arian Smith in the fourth round knocks them down a peg, but they are the Jets after all, and it wouldn't be an NFL event without a questionable Jets decision.