Aaron Glenn described Armand Membou as the kind of participant he’s wanting so as to add to the Jets.
“He’s mean, he’s nasty, he’s tough,” Glenn mentioned Thursday night time after the Jets took Membou with the No. 7 total choose.
You’d by no means realize it speaking to Membou off the sphere. Membou arrived in Florham Park on Friday and was well mannered and cordial, nothing like the person who Jets followers will see on the sphere at proper sort out.
“When I get on that field, I just flip the switch,” Membou mentioned. “No friends out there, so just get after everybody.”
We’re within the early days of Glenn’s tenure with the Jets and nonetheless studying precisely what the brand new coach will likely be in search of. If his first draft selection is any indication, he needs some nasty in his gamers.
“What we’re trying to do on offense, he really fits what we’re trying to do, so it was a no-brainer,” Glenn mentioned. “I mean, once the pick was there for us, man, it was like this is the guy.”
Membou got here to soccer late. He started enjoying in eighth grade however was on the thin aspect. He additionally performed tennis, soccer, basketball and wrestled. Early in highschool he couldn’t make it on the varsity staff. Then, in 2020 in the course of the pandemic, Membou went to work on his physique. He started to work out extra and eat, and when he confirmed up for soccer follow that summer time he had gone from 220 kilos to round 250. He additionally had shot up from 6-foot to 6-3.
“I feel like God, he just gave me like a new update or something,” Membou mentioned.
He turned a dominant highschool soccer participant at Lee’s Summit North in Missouri and shortly was recruited to play at Missouri. He turned a starter at proper sort out for the Tigers halfway by way of his freshman season and the NFL dream turned life like.
“I knew it was a real possibility after my freshman year when I first got on the field,” Membou mentioned.
Membou would develop into a fixture at proper sort out for Missouri by way of his sophomore and junior seasons. Many NFL groups didn’t see Membou as a lock to depart college early and enter this 12 months’s draft. However Membou started to imagine he was prepared for the NFL as his junior 12 months progressed.
“For me, by the end of the season it was pretty easy because I was playing really well,” Membou mentioned. “And just also mentally, too, I’m confident in myself to know I was going to be fine.”
Membou was not on the radar of each NFL staff as a result of the scouting neighborhood was late to him as an early entry participant.
“Yeah, after the season I was hearing like second-, third-round grades and I was kind of debating whether I should go back or not,” Membou mentioned, “but I was confident in my film from the season prior and just confident in myself. I’m definitely glad I made that decision to come out.”
Then, Membou placed on a show on the NFL Scouting Mix that included a 4.91 40-yard sprint — a surprising time for a 6-4, 332-pound participant. Out of the blue, Membou was within the dialogue as the very best offensive lineman on this draft and a potential top-10 choose.
“I feel like once people saw the athleticism I showed at the combine, they probably took that second look at the film and was like, ‘Woah, like he is that athletic,’ ” Membou mentioned.
The Jets see Membou as a plug-and-play proper sort out who can full a robust offensive line. Membou can convey his nasty streak to the Jets in addition to his bodily expertise.
“I’d just say I’m very explosive,” Membou mentioned of his strengths. “I create a lot of good movement in the run game, and I’m very consistent in pass pro. I wouldn’t really say nothing for weaknesses right now, I’m just trying to improve my overall game once I get here.”
