Pick of ‘mauler’ Membou kicked off Jets’ NFL draft search for players who fit their new ‘brand’
FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Armand Membou doesn’t like you — at all — if you’re lining up against him on defense.
And it shows.
The smiles and pleasantries quickly fade as soon as the helmets and pads go on. And then the big, physical offensive tackle goes to work.
“When I get on that field, I just flip the switch,” the New York Jets’ first-round draft pick said. “No friends out there. So just get after everybody.”
It’s that approach — “They’re getting a mauler, for sure,” Membou insisted — that made coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey lock in on him as the No. 7 overall pick in the NFL draft Thursday night.
“You feel a kid that’s comfortable with who he is, in his own skin, with his personality,” said Mougey, who wrapped up the first draft of his tenure as the Jets’ GM. “He enjoys the game, you see that. He has some life to him. … He’s got a good personality, so all of it was just a natural fit for us.”
That became a theme of this draft for the Jets, who are trying to change the culture of a franchise that has the NFL’s longest active postseason drought at 14 years.
Glenn, who was hired in January after four years as Detroit’s defensive coordinator, knows what it takes to turn around the fortunes of a franchise. The Jets went about trying to add players who’ll help establish a new approach.
“Tough, physical, violent, aggressive, a resilient attitude,” Glenn said. “We continue to get guys like that, I mean, you’ll start to see the brand show up on the grass.”
That’s of course where it all matters. And it has to translate to wins.
One thing Mougey and Glenn did is address the offensive line early. By adding Membou a year after the Jets — albeit a different regime — drafted left tackle Olu Fashanu in the first round, New York believes it has two foundational building blocks.
“We’re very intentional about guys who we want to be a part of this organization,” Glenn said. “Everyone fits and we want to continue that trend because once you do that, the core of each person is the same.
“We might look different, we might act different, but the core of everyone here is the same, and that’s what we want to try to do.”
Famous footsteps
Mason Taylor used to run around town in a No. 99 Jets jersey as a youngster. Well, at least for one season, when Jason Taylor left the Miami Dolphins to play for New York in 2010.
Fifteen years later, Mason Taylor will have his own number in green and white after the Jets drafted the LSU tight end in the second round with the 42nd overall pick.
“It’s definitely crazy and eye-opening knowing that I’ll be there now older,” he said. “It’s just an amazing experience and I’m just so excited for this.”
Taylor had 129 catches for 1,308 yards and six TDs in three seasons at LSU, establishing himself as one of the top tight ends in the country. He should add another passing option for Justin Fields in the Jets’ new-look offense.
“To watch him walk through the same facility and use the locker room and take that same path that I took — you’re trying to make me cry. I’m not going to do it,” said Jason Taylor, who wiped away tears.
The elder Taylor, who played 13 of his 15 NFL seasons with Miami, won’t have any rooting conflicts when the Jets take on the Dolphins.
“I have to say it,” the Pro Football Hall of Famer said: “J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets!”
Speedy addition
New York drafted Georgia wide receiver Arian Smith with the first of its two fourth-round selections, adding a player who can help stretch the field and complement Garrett Wilson.
Smith ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds, but had some issues with drops as well as a few major injuries. He had a breakout season last year with 48 catches for 817 yards and four TDs.
“The elite speed, he has an explosive element,” Mougey said. “When you have a piece like that on offense, it allows you to do more.”
Secondary depth
The Jets appear mostly set at cornerback with Sauce Gardner, Brandon Stephens and Michael Carter II, but they couldn’t resist adding Florida State’s Azareye’h Thomas in the third round.
Thomas’ size — he’s 6-2 — and disruptive, two-handed punch ability at the line of scrimmage made him appealing to Glenn and the Jets.
“I’m going to smother you,” Thomas said. “And I’m going to lock down my side of the field.”
New York traded up in the next round to snatch Alabama safety Malachi Moore, a two-time team captain who changed positions last season after playing nickelback for four years.
“He’s made of the right stuff at safety,” Mougey said. “He was a guy we really coveted and kind of targeted early in the day (Saturday).”
Hurricane watch
The Jets wrapped up their draft by taking two former University of Miami players in the fifth round: linebacker Francisco Mauigoa and edge rusher Tyler Baron.
Mauigoa played two years at Washington State before transferring to Miami. Baron was at Tennessee for four years before joining the Hurricanes, where his position coach was Jason Taylor. Both have a chance to be rotational pieces on defense and play special teams for the Jets.
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