NFL general managers, prospects and fans should expect the unexpected in the draft, but the Jets' new tackle Armand Membou (6-4, 332) woke up on Thursday with a hunch he'd end up in green and white.
"I was super excited, but at the same time, I had a feeling that this was going to be my home," he told reporters after he was selected No. 7 overall on Day 1 of the NFL Draft. "I just had a lot of communication with them in the pre-draft process it was just something my gut told me. When I woke up today, [I felt] like I was going to be a Jet."
A three-year starter at Missouri, Membou earned second-team All-SEC honors in the 2024 season after starting 12 games at right tackle for the Tigers. He finished his college career with 30 consecutive starts, all at RT. While offensive linemen don't have stats, a rumor swirled that he allowed one sack last season, which he quickly corrected.
"It's not accurate," Membou said. "I didn't give up any sacks last year."
The Lee's Summit, MO, native is the second offensive tackle selected in as many years for the Jets and fortifies a group that lost RT Morgan Moses in free agency. The Green & White's projected O-line, from left to right, could be LT Olu Fashanu, LG John Simpson, C Joe Tippmann, RG Alijah Vera-Tucker and now Membou.
"I think the Jets O-line has a good young foundation," he said. "I feel like adding me to it, the work I'm going put into this organization, we could be very good up in front in the trenches."
He added of his playing style: "I'm a mauler, for sure. Then in pass protection, someone very consistent. I make sure to keep my quarterback clean."
Membou, 21, is going from a college town with a population of roughly 130,000 to the bright lights of the New York area that is home to 8.2 million people, where he visited in December 2024.
He played basketball, tennis and soccer growing up, but football quickly took precedent once he put on a helmet in eighth grade.
"Football is a different sport," he said. "The brotherhood aspect, what you go through with your teammates, I feel like it's not the same compared to everything else. Plus, I was way better at football than those other sports, but I wasn't that good at first. Just sticking with it and going through that process, I developed my love for the game."
Membou, whose parents immigrated from Cameroon, took time to reflect on what the last three-plus months looked like that started with uncertainty if he'd declare for the 2025 NFL Draft and resulted in being a top-10 pick after his stock skyrocketed throughout the process that included a 4.91 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine in February.
"It's definitely been long," he said. "It was a little confusing at first because I wasn't sure where I'd go. I was still debating if I was going to go back to school or not, but, in my heart I knew I was ready. I'm glad I trusted my decision."
