Armand Membou, the Jets' top pick, No. 7 overall, in Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay on Thursday night, made his way from Wisconsin to North Jersey at 1 Jets Drive on Friday. During his first in-person encounter with the media, Membou came off as smart and genial -- a presentation he said should not be mistaken for any lack of determination and drive on the field.
Membou, 21, turned a lot of heads at the NFL Combine in February, putting up numbers not usually seen from a 6-4, 332-pound offensive tackle.
"I just think it shows my explosiveness and just my overall athleticism, very fast and I'm also very strong, too," he said. "When I get on that field, I just flip the switch. No friends out there, so just get after everybody."
He took a leap into the top echelon of offensive tackles in the draft (he was one of three selected among the top 10 picks) first after playing in and starting all 25 games for Missouri the past two seasons as he earned second-team All SEC honors playing against some of the toughest competition and in one of the toughest conferences in the country.
Membou went to Indianapolis and put on a seminal performance for scouts and analysts. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.91 seconds -- the fastest time by any O-lineman at least 6-4 and 330 pounds since 2003, according to NFL Research. His broad jump of 9-7 was the best by an O-lineman this year, and with a 34-inch vertical jump he joined only three other O-linemen to surpass a 30-inch vertical and run a sub-5.0 40 at 315-plus pounds, according to NFL Research.
Before he even stepped on the field in Columbia, MO, Membou said that the isolation imposed during the coronavirus pandemic, starting in March 2020, helped him to transform his body.
"It's kind of crazy about the beginning of the pandemic," he said. "I was probably 6-foot, probably 220 around there, and then, by the time we came back to football workshop and everything, I was like 6-2, 6-3. Like 250, and I was way faster and stronger than I was before. Just working out, and I feel like God, he just gave me a thing. He gave [me] a new update or so."
On Thursday night, HC Aaron Glenn, the defensive coordinator at Detroit, said that Membou reminded him of Penei Sewell, who the Lions drafted as they set about "building from the inside out," as Glenn said. During his brief introductory press conference Thursday night, Membou said he took some cues and long-distance tips from the Jets' former LT Tyron Smith ... and modeled his game on some other standout OTs.
"I like watching [the Giants'] Andrew Thomas and [the Chargers'] Rashawn Slater, two good tackles," Membou said.
The week-in, week-out level of competition in the SEC set Membou up well as he prepares for his first professional season with the Jets.
"Maybe really battle tested, because I feel like every team in the SEC, you can't sleep," he said. "Because every week, every team has their 7-plus sack guys, so you gotta be on your P's and Q's all the time."
With Membou slotted in at right tackle, he helps the Jets solidify their starting five.
"When I first came into Mizzou, we already had Javon Foster," Membou said, referring to a college teammate who was drafted in Round 4 last year by Jacksonville. "And he was kind of the guy already, so he just got drafted last year. So that's kind of the reason why I was on the right. Then we got [LT] Marcus Bryant and I didn't know I was going to leave, so yeah."
