This is the second in a two-part series on the Jets' first-round tackles of the past two drafts, Armand Membou and Olu Fashanu, both of whom spoke with reporters following Saturday's fourth practice of training camp.
Armand Membou so far has been a big man of few words and equally big smiles as he focuses on securing the Jets' right tackle position in training camp.
"Oh, it's been really fun, you know, really competitive," Membou said after Saturday's training camp practice at the Atlantic Health Jets Training Center. "And I'm just excited to be back playing football," something he hadn't done in a game or even in an unpadded practice at Mizzou since the end of November.
Playing football, even while still building up to more contact with his teammates in he week ahead, means going against pro pass rushers, and Membou has gotten an early introduction to what he'll be facing in going up against edge Will McDonald IV, the Jets' leading sacker last season.
"Going against Will is a really tough matchup, but it's also really competitive and has been really fun," said Membou, who offered up props to the Jets' new No. 9 just as fellow young tackle Olu Fashanu did in his media remarks. "After practice, I'll go talk to him, just ask him tips about what he sees about my game, my set and stuff. ... I'll go against him and I'll just be thinking, 'How did he do that?'
"A guy like him, he's super-athletic. Going against him, I know once I get to the game, it's going to make me a lot better."
Membou came to the Jets as a very good right tackle already with career totals of 35 games, 29 starts and 2,243 snaps in his three seasons as the Tigers' RT. He had a reputation as an athletic and aggressive blocker, allowed no sacks at all in his 2024 season, then propelled his 6-4, 332-pound frame to an eye-popping 4.91-second 40 at the NFL combine.
The Jets and head coach Aaron Glenn began to implement AG's plan, developed before he became an HC in the NFL, of building his offense and even his team "from the inside out" by laying down a sturdy offensive line foundation. And the selection of Membou seemed to signal the establishment of bookend tackles for that line with Fashanu, the 11th overall pick last year out of Penn State.
But Glenn has also said, "There's competition at every position," and Membou has a grizzled veteran and two young pros, all with NFL experience at RT, that he's going up against at practice. Here are some games-starts-and-snaps data on the picture at tackle and specifically right tackle:
| Jets Tackle | Team(s) | LT GP/GS | LT Snaps | RT GP/GS | RT Snaps |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chukwuma Okorafor | PIT-NE '20-24 | 1/1 | 12 | 63/55 | 3710 |
| Max Mitchell | NYJ '22-24 | 3/2 | 139 | 15/11 | 767 |
| Carter Warren | NYJ '23-24 | 2/1 | 107 | 7/5 | 437 |
| Armand Membou | Missouri '22-24 | 0/0 | 0 | 35/29 | 2243 |
But Membou is all-in for this fun battle, and his draft position and the rookie deal he signed in May shortly after being drafted all suggest an expectation that at some point Membou and Fashanu can team up and attempt to match the production from the only other back-to-back first-round bookend drafts, of Marvin Powell in 1977 and Chris Ward in '78.
"I sit right next to Olu in the meeting room, so I just ask him for advice and stuff, and he's been a big help for me," Membou said, adding of any expectations for the dynamic duo this season and beyond: "We've just got to embrace our roles and continue to get better every day."
