Jets Notes: Rookies Armand Membou, Mason Taylor Discuss First Practice Following Nfl Draft

With the 2025 NFL Draft in the rearview mirror, so begins minicamp around the league.

For the Jets, Friday marked their first practice, which featured all of their rookies, including the seven selections they made in Green Bay in April.

Speaking to the media for the first time afterwards were first-round pick OT Armand Membou and second-round selection TE Mason Taylor.

Here are the takeaways from what was said after Day 1...

Getting to know HC Aaron Glenn

It wasn't just the first day of practice for the rookies as Glenn got his first taste of head coaching duties on the field, as well.

By all accounts, things went well between all of the newcomers.

"I respect him a lot and I like the culture that he’s building here for sure," Membou said. "He’s not gonna diminish you, but he’s gonna demand the best out of you. I like that."

"I think he has a really good balance of being serious and then being a players' coach as well," Taylor added. "Being someone that you can talk to, be loose with, but then he’s gonna get on you on the field and he’s gonna be that guy you can lean on. So it’s been amazing and I’m definitely looking forward to doing more business with him, for sure."

Dealing with expectations

Getting picked on Day 1 or Day 2 comes with a lot of expectations, naturally. So how are New York's first two picks handling that so far?

"The coaches bringing me in, trusting me to be a part of their program speaks to the level of confidence that they have in me and just giving them all I’ve got on the field from minicamp and showing that in meetings and weight room and all that is definitely something I’m looking forward to do," Taylor said.

He continued: "Coming into this, I had high expectations. It’s the NFL, so it’s a big brand and a big program and I just think coming in and knowing to fit my role, work hard, keep my head down… that’s what’s gonna help me gain the trust of these coaches and players and the vets. Just showing my consistent hard work every single day is something I’m looking forward to doing."

Of course, for Taylor, there's an added level of pressure as he's the son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, as well as the nephew of another Hall of Famer Zach Thomas.

But Taylor doesn't view his relation to football greatness as a bad thing. In fact, he looks up to them for laying the foundation of what it means to be a professional football player.

"There’s high expectations, for sure, just because of the last name, but when people say like ‘oh, let him have his shine, stop saying his dad’s name.’ I mean, I love it, we’re family," Taylor said. "Him and my uncle Zach, I’m wanting to be like them.

You can call it in their shadows, but I love modeling my game after theirs, their hard work and how they weren’t highly recruited coming into the NFL… I look up to those guys for sure."

As for Membou, despite not having the football pedigree in his family like Taylor, the offensive tackle must deal with the expectations that come with the No. 7 overall pick. In his mind, though, it's just time to get to work.

"It means the world that I’m here, but at the same time it’s my job now so time to get to work," he said.

Lucky for him, the Jets made a similar move in the 2024 NFL Draft when they selected Olu Fashanu with the No. 11 overall pick. Following a solid first year in the league, Fashanu is somebody Membou can lean on as he learns the ropes.

"He was a rookie a year ago, so he definitely will be able to help me a lot," Membou said.