ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler is unveiling the results of an annual survey of NFL scouts, executives, and coaches that ranks the league’s top 10 players at each position.

It has been a rocky ride for the New York Jets. Quinnen Williams tumbled to the No. 5 spot among defensive tackles, while Breece Hall dropped from No. 2 among running backs to an honorable mention. At edge rusher, safety, and tight end, no Jets players received a single vote.

Things went a little peachier for the Jets in the interior offensive line edition of the survey. While they did not have any players named to the top 10 or among the five honorable mentions, two players received votes: left guard John Simpson and right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Vera-Tucker’s appearance on the survey is not shocking. The 11th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft, Vera-Tucker entered the league with elite potential as a guard, and he’s backed it up when healthy. Vera-Tucker put everything together in the 2024 NFL season, earning the 11th-best grade among guards at Pro Football Focus (77.7).

Kudos to Alijah Vera-Tucker for an incredible season.

He finishes 2024 allowing a pressure rate of just 4.3%, per Next Gen Stats, ranking 3rd-best among RG:

1. Quinn Meinerz (3.6%)
2. Brandon Scherff (4.1%)
3. AVT (4.3%)
4. Kevin Dotson (4.9%)
5. Kevin Zeitler (5.1%)

🔒 #Jets pic.twitter.com/XRgskBBFnA

— Michael Nania (@Michael_Nania) January 6, 2025

However, it is a pleasant surprise to see Simpson earning recognition.

Simpson was an unheralded signing coming over from Baltimore, inking a two-year, $12 million deal with the Jets in 2024. He delivered a stronger season than many expected. Simpson’s 77.3 grade at PFF placed one spot behind Vera-Tucker on the guard rankings. More important than his stats is the tenacity he displayed on every down, which jumped off the screen.

Notably absent from the list was Joe Tippmann, the Jets’ 24-year-old starting center. Tippmann ranked as the eighth-best center in PFF’s grading system last season, although his 73.4 grade was a few ticks below Vera-Tucker and Simpson. It wouldn’t be surprising if league evaluators viewed him as a small step behind them as a player.

Overall, though, the Jets’ interior offensive line is one of their roster’s greatest strengths, and it is nice to see NFL evaluators giving them some recognition. If the Jets’ offensive line fulfills its potential as a collective group, they could see Vera-Tucker, Simpson, and Tippmann push their way toward the top 10 on next year’s interior offensive line rankings.

However, it remains to be seen whether Simpson and Vera-Tucker will return to New York in 2026, as both are on expiring contracts. That should push them to play their best football in 2025. In the long run, though, the Jets must find a way to keep their young, talented offensive line together.