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Re-Grading the New York Jets 2025 Draft
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

The New York Jets approach to the 2025 NFL draft centered on building around veterans, while adding young support players. However, New York’s vision of kicking off the Aaron Glenn era as head coach with a winning season quickly led them to realize they needed to overhaul their roster. By the end of the 2025 season, the Jets had a 3-14 record, but they also had success with the young players they drafted in 2025, and those players will be the foundation upon which the Jets will be defined over the next few seasons.

The Jets’ vision for the first season of the Aaron Glenn era as their head coach was to bring in veterans who could quickly boost their offense to complement their strong defense. A big part of New York’s strategy was to sign quarterback Justin Fields and collect a large amount of future draft capital. Therefore, it made sense to invest in the offensive line so Justin Fields would have adequate protection, which led the Jets to select offensive tackle Armand Membou with their first-round pick in 2025.

New York Jets 2025 Draft Class

Round Pick Player Position School
1 7 Armand Membou OT Missouri
2 42 Mason Taylor TE LSU
3 73 Azareye’h Thomas CB Florida State
4 110 Arian Smith WR Georgia
4 130 Malachi Moore S Alabama
5 162 Francisco Mauigoa LB Miami
5 176 Tyler Baron EDGE Miami

While Justin Fields did not provide the impact the Jets had hoped for, Armand Membou lived up to New York’s expectations and quickly became the Day 1 starter at left offensive tackle for New York. Membou put together a great season while protecting Field’s blind side, and he also helped the Jets stabilize their offensive line by giving them a pair of bookend tackles on the offensive side of the ball. In addition to Membou, the Jets drafted wide receiver Mason Taylor, who had a successful season, catching 44 passes for the Jets offense.

New York’s mid-round draft picks also had successful seasons in 2025, with Malachi Moore, Azareye’h Thomas, and Arian Smith all stepping into roles on the Jets defense during their rookie seasons. In addition, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa had a successful season in 2025 and had the opportunity to prove he was a legitimate playmaker at linebacker in the NFL after filling in for injured players on the Jets’ defense. Ultimately, the Jets were able to get significant value from the picks they made in the 2025 draft.

New York Jets 2025 Draft Re-Grade = B+

While the Jets’ 2025 season fell short of expectations, New York did get significant value from their 2025 draft class. Obtaining Membou to give New York a pair of solid offensive tackles is a big win for the Jets, and, defensively, they were able to add significant depth to several key positions. Justin Fields is likely not the long-term answer at quarterback for New York, but in 2026, the Jets will not be ready to draft a quarterback to take over their offense. During the 2026 draft, New York will need to stack this 2025 draft class with more good players and set the stage for an explosive offense and defense, which will lead New York to drafting a potential franchise quarterback in 2027.

This article first appeared on Football Analysis and was syndicated with permission.

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