7. New York Jets: Armand Membou, OT, Missouri
The New York Jets went to the offensive tackle position with their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft when they selected Penn State star Olu Fashanu. With Tyron Smith now slated to hit free agency, as well as Morgan Moses, the Jets may be inclined to look at the offensive tackle position yet again in 2025.
And it just so happens that Armand Membou is the best tackle in this class not named Will Campbell, and has been skyrocketing up the draft board over the last handful of weeks.
With the departure of Aaron Rodgers imminent, the Jets have a lot of big fish to fry in the first year under new general manager Darren Mougey and new head coach Aaron Glenn. They need to get the quarterback position sorted out, but they can also build the infrastructure for whoever ends up being the quarterback by investing in the trenches offensively.
8. Carolina Panthers: Jalon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
It cannot be overstated just how critical it was for the Carolina Panthers this past offseason to get positive development out of quarterback Bryce Young. There was a point during the season where our 2025 NFL mock draft predictions included the Panthers going a new direction at the quarterback position, but something clicked for the former #1 overall pick out of Alabama.
Now, the Panthers can feel good about building around Bryce Young again and really fortifying this roster with key pieces on either side of the ball. The defense in Carolina has been borderline neglected, or the investments haven’t worked out, or both. This team needs an infusion of talent on the defensive side and there are few guys I like more for this team early in round one than Jalon Walker.
Walker played off-ball linebacker and EDGE at Georgia but he looks like he’ll find a nice home in the NFL off the edge on a full-time basis.