Jets 20-Year-Old Named 'Most Surprising Pick'

The New York Jets made seven selections in the 2025 National Football League Draft starting with Missouri offensive tackle Armand Membou.

New York started the draft off with unexpected selections. Heading into the draft, the offensive line and tight end positions were the most talked about for the team. New York landed Membou at No. 7 and fixed the tight end spot with former LSU playmaker Mason Taylor in the second round. The third round is when things got a little surprising. The Jets selected Florida State corner Azareye'h Thomas with the No. 73 pick. He's a talented corner with size and is just 20 years old, but cornerback wasn't a position that was speculated about a lot heading into the draft.

Because of this, The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt called the selection New York's "most surprising pick."

"There are two answers for this one: a pick the Jets made, and one they didn’t," Rosenblatt said. "Let’s start with the one they did: That would be Thomas, not because of a lack of talent, but just considering other needs the Jets had and some prospects on the board at those spots. The Jets have Sauce Gardner and are expected to extend him, and they paid good money for Brandon Stephens in free agency. Michael Carter II returns at nickel.

"The Jets badly needed to add some talent to the wide receiver room and Iowa State’s Jaylin Noel — a projected second-round pick by many — was still on the board when the Jets picked, as was Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts and Kentucky defensive tackle Deone Walker. The Jets clearly view Thomas as a long-term starter at corner, with skills worth developing."

The move was surprising, but it's going to be interesting to see what Aaron Glenn does with this secondary. They now have three pretty big corners in Gardner, Brandon Stephens, and Thomas. There's a lot of size and potential in the cornerback room.