So far the five — the two young tackles, plus LG John Simpson, C Josh Myers and RG Joe Tippmann, have been constants on the offensive line, driving the ground game that HC Aaron Glenn and OC Tanner Engstrand have been emphasizing since back in January when they were hired.
Membou, 21, a rookie who is only four games into his NFL career, looks comfortable, experienced and capable of handling anything thrown at him. Last week’s PFF grade was the highest among the tackles in his draft class. He partly attributed his current success to the challenge of dealing with the Jets’ edge Will McDonald IV in training camp.
“Going against a guy like him in practice and camp, once it gets to the game – it slows down a lot,” Membou said. “So it has definitely helped me.” He added: “Having all those guys [on the O-line] help me getting extra work after practice and stuff, and they’ve been a really good vet group to me.”
Heiden, speaking after the Week 3 game against Tampa Bay, said the rookie has impressed him.
“I’d say he’s just doing everything the right way, the way we ask him to do,” Heiden said. “I would never want to say he’s farther along than I would hoped, but yeah, he’s doing a good job, especially for a rookie. Again, it’s about how he’s preparing to play the game. He does a really good job studying the opponents, understanding the looks, and going about it that way. I would say mentally he’s ahead of where most rookies are.”
Fashanu, hardly a grizzled vet, said that Membou has been nothing but solid “since the moment he stepped into the facility for the first time.” It’s clear that the No. 7 overall pick in 2025 has impressed the No. 11 overall pick in 2024.
“He’s super detail oriented, very smart, fast, strong and very tough, and he’s been the same person every day,” Fashanu said. “So for him to go out and perform it’s really no surprise.
“He just goes out and plays with a lot of confidence. He’s not out on the field timid. He has absolute trust with the rest of the line, for everyone to go out and do their jobs, so it gives him the confidence to go out there and just play with somewhat reckless abandon.”