Jets Facing Familiar Dilemma In Round One

Denny Medley-Imagn Images

To tight end or tackle? That seems to be the question facing the Jets’ new regime as they prepare for their first Draft opportunity next month. New York holds the No. 7 overall selection in a class that allows for them to go in several directions. Since tight end and tackle (both offensive and defensive) are the team’s biggest needs, it is assumed that their pick will fill one of them.

Sound familiar? It’s the same dilemma from last year, when the decision makers’ debates at One Jets Drive centered around evaluations comparing tight end Brock Bowers versus a slew of plug-and-play tackles.

No matter the monstrosity of Bowers’ rookie stats for the Raiders, a case can be made that the Jets chose correctly when tabbing left tackle Olu Fashanu at No. 11 overall after trading down one slot. The 6-foot 6, 312-pound Fashanu plays a premium position, whereas competent tight ends can be found in lower rounds—of ProFootballFocus.com’s ten highest graded tight ends from last season, only Bowers and Minnesota’s T.J. Hockenson were selected in a Round 1. Notably, that list didn’t include Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, generally considered an all-time great at the position, who was a third-round pick, but Detroit’s Sam LaPorta, who has excelled playing in the former stomping grounds of Jets Head Coach Aaron Glenn and Offensive Coordinator Tanner Engstrand, made it to No. 10 despite his mere second round pedigree.

Contrast that with PFF’s 10 best offensive tackles—nine of the ten were first-round selections, with several going in the top five. The team-building process is clear at this point: Besides quarterback, the best franchises invest heavily in their offensive and defensive fronts. And from where the Jets stand after the free agency market has been picked clean, they are not complete on either side of the ball.

Obviously, if there is a clear gap in the quality of player between a lesser-regarded position and the next best lineman, that must be taken into account. However, as I’ve started my dive into Draft analyses, I’ve noticed that Penn State tight end Tyler Warren has been dropping on many consensus big boards. Meanwhile, Missouri tackle Armand Membou has been rising fast after his spectacular showing at the NFL Combine earlier this month confirmed the view that his 2024 performance that saw zero sacks or QB hits allowed could be translatable to the NFL.

Membou is also a highly-rated run blocker, an area where New York’s tackles underperformed last season. He just turned 21, so the Jets could be on the verge of securing their bookend tackles for the next decade.

Of course, we won’t know who will be available to the Jets until Draft Day—New England, which has a history of going off the reservation in Round 1, is said to be interested in Membou at No. 4 overall—but there are other options for the Jets to consider which wouldn’t necessitate a reach:

1) Mason Graham, Michigan defensive tackle

Though I ordinarily prefer the Jets going offense in Round 1, Graham comes in with a playmaking and need-filling combination that would make selecting a defensive lineman acceptable. Forget what you hear about his arm length, measured at 32 inches at the Combine, or that he played the same “3-technique” tackle position as Quinnen Williams in college. Focus on the film. Graham earned the nickname “The Human Hand Grenade” because of his ability to detonate plays upon impact. He was PFF’s highest-graded run defender last season while adding 34 pressures using his quickness and bend to win leverage battles. Adding Graham could resurrect Williams, the only starting caliber interior lineman on the Jets roster. Williams is coming off a season that produced some of his worst metrics since his rookie campaign thanks to the empty jerseys who played next to him that allowed for constant double teams.

2) Will Campbell, LSU tackle

Again, an arm length measurement at the Combine (possibly an inaccurate one at that) has sent Campbell’s stock downward. That could be to New York’s benefit, as he is said to be versatile enough to make the switch from left to right tackle. Reports also indicate that his competitiveness and football IQ are off the charts. There aren’t many other off-the-bat, starting caliber tackles in this Draft, and boy, do the Jets desperately need one. The current options are returning underperformers Carter Warren and Max Mitchell plus free agent Hail Mary Chukwuma Okorafor. That calls for a big “Help Wanted” plea.

3) Trade down

As I’ve begun testing the various Mock Draft simulators, all of them have submitted trade proposals that would have netted the Jets a second-round pick, many in the top 50, for a swap into the teens. Though it would take the Jets out of contention for the top players, the extra pick should contain enough value to potentially fill an additional Gang Green hole. And from, say, No. 15 overall, the Jets would likely be in the mix to select from among Texas burner Matthew Golden, a top edge rusher like Marshall’s Mike Green or Tennessee’s James Pierce Jr., or even a pass-catching tight end like Michigan’s Colston Loveland to pair with incumbent blocker Jeremy Ruckert in Engstrand’s favored 12 personnel packages. Who knows how the Draft will play out—one of the simulations had Warren still on the board at No. 15. The larger point being that for years, the Jets would give up picks thanks to former General Manager Joe Douglas’ hubris; maybe his successor Glenn Mougey learned a better way to build a roster while in Denver.