The hot draft prospect suggested to protect Justin Field after key loss

Following a bumpy two year ride on the Aaron Rodgers roller coaster, the New York Jets made the decision in the earliest days of the offseason to part ways with the future Hall of Famer, and instead see what else was out there at the quarterback position. New head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey quickly set their sights on Justin Fields to be their guy, and they signed the 26-year-old to a two-year, $40 million contract on Monday, but Fields comes with his own unique set of concerns.

Among those concerns is Fields’ inability to operate at a high level when under pressure. In 2024, Fields ranked 40th among all qualified quarterbacks in pressure-to-sack percentage, taking a sack on over 20 percent of his drop backs when he faced pressure. It was the third time in four seasons that this was the case for Fields, who even with a clean pocket hasn’t proven to be the most accurate quarterback.

To make matters worse, the Jets watched veteran tackle Morgan Moses walk in free agency, signing a three-year, $24 million deal with the New England Patriots on Monday. The Jets offensive line was middle of the pack in 2024, and losing a veteran presence like Moses means New York needs a rock solid succession plan if they want Fields to have success during his first season with the Jets. That could mean the Jets end up selecting one of the fastest rising prospects in the entire NFL Draft with the 7th overall pick… Missouri Tigers offensive tackle Armand Membou.

“Membou’s draft stock has taken off like a rocket ship since the start of last season, as he has catapulted into the conversation for the first offensive lineman taken in April,” writes ESPN’s Field Yates. “The Jets could slide him immediately into right tackle to fix their glaring need. They just saw veteran Morgan Moses depart to the Patriots in free agency, creating this hole. New York has to improve the protection for new quarterback Justin Fields.”

Thanks to arm length and injury concerns for LSU’s Will Campbell and Ohio State’s Josh Simmons respectively, it now feels like a very real possibility that Armand Membou can be the first tackle taken in the 2025 NFL Draft. As many expected he would, Membou had a ridiculous performance at the Combine, and that came after a 2024 college season in which the 20-year-old Missouri junior didn’t give up a single sack or quarterback hit in 411 pass blocking snaps, most of which came in SEC play.