Those Expecting Jets Draft To Plug Multiple Holes Will Be Disappointed
New GM Mougey Focused On Futures Plays
No one should have expected new Jets General Manager Darren Mougey to plug all the holes on the club’s roster in one offseason. And considering the team’s change towards a more youthful direction, many of the acquisitions Mougey did procure probably won’t bear fruit in year 1.
That goes for New York’s Draft haul that brought in seven players over the three-day event in Green Bay. Of the Jets’ first three picks, tackle Armand Membou, taken with the No. 7 overall pick from Missouri, is the oldest, having turned 21 a month ago. Second-rounder Mason Taylor, a tight end from LSU, will be of drinking age in May while Azareye’h Thomas, the third-round cornerback out of Florida State, is the baby of the bunch with a July 21st birthday.
While it is presumed that Membou will be a plug-and-play every-down right tackle, the rest of Mougey’s class will have their work cut out for them in order to earn larger roles than rotation pieces/special teamers. Even Thomas, who only has to beat out the mediocre fourth-year vet Jeremy Ruckert and bargain free agent Stone Smartt, isn’t a lock to top the depth chart on Opening Day.
According to the scouting reports, Taylor, the son of Jets nemesis (outside of his last season as a Jets edge rusher) Jason, will need to hit the gym before he gets to be anointed as the three-down tight end. He played about 55% of his snaps last season either in the slot or out wide. When new Jets Offensive Coordinator Tanner Engstrand wants to go with a jumbo personnel package like 12 or needs a receiving tight end on the field for a passing down, you’ll see plenty of Tayor this season. However, his rather average-rated run blocking last season, per ProFootballFocus.com, will limit his reps as a rookie.
Thomas, meanwhile, was a curious pick considering how set the Jets are at the position with Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner playing for a monster extension (assuming he doesn’t get one this summer) and free agent signing Brandon Stephens on the outside and Michael Carter II, entering the first season of a three-year extension, in the slot. Thomas drew raves for his press techniques, a favorite of new Head Coach Aaron Glenn’s, but probably dropped down teams’ boards after he ran a substandard 4.58 40-yard dash time at his Pro Day. If you’re seeing a lot of him on the field this season, it’s probably not a good thing because it means either a starter is injured or Stephens is the second coming of Trumaine Johnson.
When you get to Day 3 of the Draft, you’re just looking for specific traits that you hope you can develop. In 2021, Mougey’s predecessor Joe Douglas looked at Jamien Sherwood, who played safety at Auburn, in the fifth round and saw a middle linebacker. You take swings.
And boy did Mougey go for the fences with his selection of Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith in the fourth round at No. 110 overall. PFF had him ranked 343rd on its Big Board while The Athletic’s Dane Brugler was kinder in his assessment, valuing him as a fifth rounder. Still, it’s quite a reach for a player who had trouble grabbing anything thrown in his direction the last two seasons. His 2024 stats: an Allen Lazard-like 48 receptions with 10 drops.
Except Lazard can’t run like Smith, who clocked in with a 4.36 40 time at the NFL Combine. On the plus side, the Jets desperately need to put more speed on the field and Smith reportedly fared well at Senior Bowl practices. At worst, he has experience as a gunner on punt coverages. Then again, he’ll be 24 in October; if he hasn’t figured out how to catch a football by now, what are the chances he’ll pick it up in the hardest league in the world, particularly as a rookie?
Mougey also went against the analytics grain by trading up to get back into the fourth round to tab Alabama safety Malachi Moore at No. 130 overall. The Jets swapped their No. 145 fifth-round pick plus their sixth rounder (No. 207 overall) to select a player at a non-premium position. He’s another older guy (he’ll turn 24 in September) whose size and athleticism didn’t wow the scouts. However, Moore showed enough toughness and versatility (he played all over—box, deep, and in the slot, per PFF) to be worth the flyer. And Nick Saban apparently loved him, which probably carried some weight at One Jets Drive.
As for New York’s two fifth-round picks, linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and edge rusher Tyler Baron, they both moved around before finishing their collegiate careers at Miami and they’ll also likely to share time on the Jets’ inactive lists this season, assuming they make the team out of training camp. Mauigoa, 22, has the better shot due to his extensive special teams experience that featured what Brugler called his “chase speed.”.
With the Jets out of picks by the end of Round 5, Mougey got a head start on his undrafted rookie free agent class. Per reports, the Jets gave their biggest guarantees to 6-foot 4 Kansas wide receiver Quentin Skinner and Fresno State safety Dean Clark, whose only shot is to shine on special teams. Other notables include Michigan running back Donovan Edwards, whose career took a downward turn following an outstanding 2022 sophomore campaign but is a threat as a receiver out of the backfield, and Missouri quarterback Brady Cook, who I assume will compete with 2024 fifth-round pick Jordan Travis for a QB3 job.
Drafted or undrafted, it’s way too soon to judge this Jets class. Outside of Membou and maybe Taylor, think of them as students, who don’t start receiving letter grades until they graduate out of the elementary program. This coming season is their learning period; some of it may come in live game reps, but it will take years before we know how well Mougey did in his first stab at this.
Well no surprise but once again for me you get another “atta boy” Stephen. 😂 Seriously well done. I wanna give us a “solid” rating for this draft but I’m having a problem getting past the fact that we completely ignored one of this drafts strongest position groups at def.tackle. Where this draft goes really wrong for me was once you get past the CB Thomas in round 3 there were significantly better players at positions of need available in each instance. And looking at the players we traded up for going by the draft guides ( as well as my own lists) I think all of our final 4 picks would have all been there had we stayed pat. Basically they were all reaches. I’m still hoping there’s a TE out there capable of blocking in 12 personnel packages because Taylor at this point is probably our best blocking TE and he was average at best as a collegiate. He will find that task much more difficult on this level.