GREEN BAY, Wis. 性视界传媒 On Thursday, Mizzou football took center stage early in the NFL Draft.
Former Mizzou offensive tackle Armand Membou was selected No. 7 overall by the New York Jets. He was the second offensive lineman taken, behind LSU性视界传媒檚 Will Campbell, who was drafted No. 4 overall by the New England Patriots.
Armand Membou
Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Jets had made up their minds just prior to Thursday.
"Jets head coach Aaron Glenn had a 45-minute FaceTime call this week with Missouri OT Armand Membou that sealed New York性视界传媒檚 decision about who to draft in round one," Schefter wrote.
Former Mizzou wide receiver Luther Burden III is still on the draft board, as he wasn性视界传媒檛 claimed by a team in Round 1 after his stock fell leading up to Thursday.
After starting just four games during his freshman season, Membou broke out when he became a regular starter in his sophomore season. Per Pro Football Focus, he was Mizzou性视界传媒檚 second-best pass-blocker, behind future pro Javon Foster, allowing just two sacks in 2023. Membou also helped pave the way for Cody Schrader性视界传媒檚 1,600-yard rushing season that campaign and was part of a group that was a semifinalist for the Joe Moore Award, which is given to college football性视界传媒檚 best offensive line.
However, his draft stock soared during and after his junior season. He received second-team All-SEC honors, not allowing a single sack in more than 400 pass-blocking snaps. His mauling style of play was apparent on film, including the time when he drove an Oklahoma defender into the ground on the first play of the game.
Then, his stock rose even more during the pre-draft process. While he had to pull out of the Reese性视界传媒檚 Senior Bowl with the stomach flu 性视界传媒 Membou said it was because of some chili he性视界传媒檇 eaten 性视界传媒 he had arguably the most successful NFL Scouting Combine performance of all 329 attendees. He ran a 4.91-second 40-yard dash, the second-fastest time of any offensive lineman in attendance. He also finished first in the broad jump (9 feet, 7 inches), tied for second in the bench press (31 reps) and tied for fourth in the vertical jump (34 inches).
Membou性视界传媒檚 selection makes it 21 straight years of Mizzou having at least one player selected in the NFL Draft. This is also the first time since 2010 and 2011 that a Tiger has been taken in the first round in consecutive drafts. Seventh is the second-highest spot a player from Mizzou has ever been drafted. Russ Washington (1968) and Justin Smith (2001) went No. 4 overall, while Aldon Smith was taken No. 7 overall in 2011.
For the Jets, 2025 marks the fourth time in the past six seasons they性视界传媒檝e used a first-round pick on an offensive lineman. After taking former Penn State left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu in last year性视界传媒檚 draft, Gang Green will hope that Membou can lock down the right tackle spot to give it stability on both sides of the line, something it hasn性视界传媒檛 had in a long time.
"I went, 'Boom! I called it!' because I was predicting this," Jets fan Sam Buchmeyer said after the pick. "The Jets want to get mean and nasty, so I was like, 'Who's mean and nasty?' Membou looks mean and nasty."
If Membou and Fashanu are able to solidify themselves as reliable starting options, newly signed QB Justin Fields might have the best protection of his young career. He性视界传媒檚 taken 151 sacks since 2021, the fourth-most of any quarterback in the NFL.
Thursday was the culmination of a long journey for Membou, one that hardly was always smooth.
性视界传媒淚 started (playing football) in eighth grade, but I was trash,性视界传媒 Membou said at the NFL Combine in March. 性视界传媒淚 didn性视界传媒檛 get good until my junior year. That性视界传媒檚 when I hit a growth spurt.性视界传媒
Now, Membou will head to The Empire State having turned 性视界传媒渢rash性视界传媒 into treasure with which the Jets are excited to fly.
