The clear goal of first year head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey had to be to establish a culture of players that can be the foundational building blocks for turning this organization around and posting a winning record for the first time in a decade.
They already have pieces on this roster in Quinnen Williams, Justin Fields, Breece Hall, plus Sauce Gardner, Garrett Wilson and Jermaine Johnson, with all three 2022 first round picks having their fifth-year options picked up by this new regime.
If Glenn and Mougey want to establish this franchise into relevance, they’ll need to start with a solid draft class in 2025 and build on it for years to come.
Through four picks in as many rounds, the duo have done good so far. Here are the grades for each of the Jets‘ picks in the NFL Draft.
Armand Membou NFL draft grade
Grade: B+
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Why: The Jets had their option of finding the final piece along the offensive line at right tackle or a potential playmaker (Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland, Tetairoa McMillan, etc.) to add to the offense. Glenn and Mougey decided to go with the former, selecting Membou at No. 7 overall. On one hand, the Jets have found both their tackles of the future, with left tackle Olu Fashanu being drafted No. 11 overall in 2024.
Time will tell if passing on Warren, Loveland or McMillan will be costly, but it’s hard to argue finding the final piece up front to protect QB Justin Fields in his first season in New York.
Mason Taylor NFL draft grade
Grade: B
Why: As mentioned above, the Jets were clearly interested in an offensive playmaker and snagged Taylor early in the second round at No. 42 overall. Yes, he’s the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Jets’ defensive end Jason Taylor, but he’s much more than that. At 6-foot-5, Taylor gives the franchise a threat down the middle field, especially in the red zone where the Jets have lacked having a tight end option of this magnitude.
Azareye’h Thomas NFL draft grade
Grade: B-
Why: I was originally more down on this selection, I’ve risen on Thomas. What he lacks in experience (13 starts in three years at Florida State) he makes up for it with a 6-foot-2 frame as a lengthy, press corner. It might take time for him to develop and see consistent playing time behind Sauce Gardner and free agent signing Brandon Stephens in the secondary, but it’ll also give him time to learn and grow to potentially be a starter down the line or step up in case of an injury to the corner position.
Arian Smith NFL draft grade
Grade: C+
Why: There’s no doubt Smith has the talent. Coming in at 6-foot, he led Georgia with 817 receiving yards a season ago. He also notably was part of the school’s track team that placed second at the NCAA outdoors. However, the area of concern with Smith is drops He had 10 dropped passes alone in 2024. Smith will have to consistently work on limiting those to a minimum as he moves to the NFL in order to see playing time. It’s an area of need without question for Gang Green, but there were better receiving options out there still on the board at this juncture.
