The Jets added some help on both sides of the ball on Day 2 of the NFL Draft on Friday.
Gang Green selected LSU тιԍнт end Mason Taylor in the second round and then grabbed Florida State cornerback AzareyeâÂÂh Thomas with their third-round pick.
Taylor is the son of Hall of Fame player Jason Taylor, who starred for years for the Dolphins but spent the 2010 season with the Jets. Taylor, 20, now returns to the area 15 years after his father was part of the last Jets team to make the playoffs.
Taylor said he remembers living in Manhattan and going to Central Park with his family.
âÂÂWe went to the park maybe every single day to keep us entertained as kids,â Taylor said. âÂÂRunning around there and running around New York, it was fun. It was a blast. ItâÂÂs definitely crazy and eye-opening knowing IâÂÂll be there now older. ItâÂÂs just an amazing experience. IâÂÂm so excited for this.âÂÂ
Jason, who was a star defensive end for the Dolphins, got emotional during a Zoom interview with New York reporters talking about the Jets selecting Mason.
âÂÂThe sun has set on my career and IâÂÂm done, so itâÂÂs awesome to be able to sit back and watch him,â Taylor said while holding a tissue. âÂÂTo watch him walk through the same facility and use the locker room and take that same path that I took â youâÂÂre trying to make me cry. IâÂÂm not going to do it.âÂÂ
Taylor did break down and cry after that. He later did the âÂÂJ-E-T-Sâ cheer to show he would be rooting for his son over his former team.
The Jets hope that Mason Taylor can take some of what made his father great and produce in the NFL. Taylor was a three-year starter at LSU.
He set records for a тιԍнт end at the school for career catches with 129 and receiving yards with 1,308. He had 55 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns in 2024.
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âÂÂMason Taylor is a тιԍнт end weâÂÂve had our eye on,â general manager Darren Mougey said. âÂÂWe think he can come in and really help us on offense.âÂÂ
тιԍнт end was a major position of need for the team.
The Jets were linked with Penn State тιԍнт end Tyler Warren in the first round but the team selected Missouri tackle Armand Membou instead.
The Jets had discussions about trading for Eagles тιԍнт end Dallas Goedert if they were unable to land Taylor. But they were able to get Taylor with the No. 42 pick and now he will join a тιԍнт end room with Stone Smartt and Jeremy Ruckert.
âÂÂHeâÂÂs a smart man,â Jets coach Aaron Glenn said. âÂÂThe bloodlines of him understanding football, that stands out. His ability to block and be a receiving threat is something that stood out on tape. HeâÂÂs going to come in and heâÂÂs going to compete. I think heâÂÂs going to do a good job for us.âÂÂ
Thomas is a big, physical cornerback who can give the Jets some depth behind Sauce Gardner and Brandon Stephens, who they signed in free agency. He is 6-foot-2 and 196 pounds and specializes in press coverage. Glenn praised his ability to jam receivers at the line of scrimmage.
âÂÂIâÂÂm physical,â Thomas said. âÂÂIâÂÂm going to smother you. IâÂÂm going to lock down my side of the field. Man, IâÂÂm a great teammate.âÂÂ
If there is a knock on Thomas it is his speed. He ran a 4.58 time in the 40-yard dash. But Glenn said he plays faster than that.
âÂÂJust looking at the player and seeing how they play on the field, thatâÂÂs more enticing to me than watching a guy run in underwear at the combine,â Glenn said. âÂÂFootball is football. He plays the brand we want to play. HeâÂÂs a big, physical man. IâÂÂm looking forward to him getting up here and being able to take what he did at Florida State and bringing that to us because thatâÂÂs how we play.âÂÂ
The Jets have five picks on Day 3 of the draft, including two each in the fifth and sixth rounds.