Jets Zeroing In On ‘Nasty’ And Not ‘Boring’ 1st-Round NFL Draft Target

The New York Jets’ offense with Justin Fields, as things stand, has a couple of glaring holes that should be addressed in the early rounds of the NFL Draft. But where should the franchise start? For most, it is an offensive skill position player like Tyler Warren or someone like Tetairoa McMillan who can come in and instantly be Fields’ No. 2 weapon in the passing game to ease the pressure on Garrett Wilson.

There is merit to that, but offensive line, and in particular, right tackle, is now seen as a glaring need, which takes us to Missouri’s Armand Membou as an option. For ESPN pair Jordan Reid and Matt Miller, when looking at New York’s “pick that fills a need” and a “best value pick,” both land on Membou. Some see a pick as an O-lineman as “boring.” But great players are great players. Reid states that Membou – who we’ve been told is seen as a “nasty” (in a good way) blocker – might be the best lineman in the class, while Miller sees Armand as a great replacement for the departed Morgan Moses.

So it seems that shoring up Fields’ offensive line might be taking precedence over getting Justin another weapon. The move for Membou is a classic one for new head coach Aaron Glenn, who likes to have a physical football team, but in taking Armand, they might be handcuffing Fields.

With just Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall as the go-to weapons, that isn’t much to work with. Could a free agency option like Tyler Lockett or Keenan Allen be an avenue to go down? Considering the youth movement in New York, maybe not. But in getting Membou, the Jets’ already solid offensive line gets another stud bookend to go with Olu Fashanu, and in doing so, might just put the theme of Tanner Engstrand’s unit purely on the offensive line and running the football.