The New York Jets continue to do their homework on the tight end class ahead of the 2025 NFL draft.
LSU tight end Mason Taylor is one player they have met with multiple times throughout this pre-draft process.
Taylor is the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Jet Jason Taylor. “Ascending tight end with plus catch talent and Hall of Fame bloodlines,” NFL draft analyst Lance Zierlein said.
Taylor measured in at the NFL combine at 6-foot-5 and tipped the scales at 251 pounds.
If the Jets Want Taylor They Might Have to Be Aggressive to Land Him
Taylor, 20, is ranked as the No. 41 overall player on Jordan Reid’s big board for ESPN. Reid said he gave Taylor a “mid-second-round grade” and “it won’t be surprising if he is selected in [the] first 50 picks.”
The Jets hold two picks inside the top-50 of the 2025 NFL draft. Taylor won’t be selected with a top 10 pick, but the No. 42 overall pick in the second round is definitely in play.
Reid said Taylor on the Jets is a landing spot “that makes a ton of sense” in the second round.
On Wednesday, March 26, Taylor dominated at the LSU Pro Day.
He posted a 4.65 40-yard dash and cranked out 28 bench press reps of 225 pounds. Both of those figures would have ranked second best among tight ends at the 2025 NFL combine.
Mason Taylor at LSU Pro Day 👀
🐯 4.65s 40-yard dash
🐯 28 bench press repsBoth would’ve been 2nd among TEs at the Combine.
(via @Saints, h/t @cameronwolfe)pic.twitter.com/eBqWQwoS0S
— NFL (@NFL) March 26, 2025
https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js
Reid said Taylor’s performance at his Pro Day was one of the most “impressive” that he has seen this cycle.
Taylor Possesses Promising Traits to Build Around
The former LSU product spent three years at the collegiate level, appearing in 38 games. During that stretch, Taylor racked up 129 receptions for 1,308 receiving yards and hauled in six touchdowns.
“With just three seasons under Taylor’s belt, more growth is expected in both his game and frame. He’s a smooth athlete with adequate acceleration and the tools to become a more effective route runner in time. He feels defenders around him and catches with sudden hands and elevated focus when needed. He can handle blocking duties on the move or in space, but in-line action will be a challenge for him. His game needs polish, but Taylor has the ability to become a higher-volume target for a team looking to upgrade at the “F” tight end spot,” Zierlein explained.
Ultimately, the Jets coaching staff has to determine which positional group has the bigger drop-off.
The green and white have multiple needs to fill heading into April’s draft. Two popular picks in mock drafts for the Jets have been Michigan’s Mason Graham at defensive tackle and Penn State’s Tyler Warren at tight end.
However, the Jets can only pick one of those players, if they’re available, with the No. 7 overall pick. Whatever position they don’t address in the first round, they will likely hit in the second round.
The Jets can take Warren and a second or third-tier defensive tackle at pick No. 42. Or the team can grab Graham and then take a second or third-tier tight end, like Taylor.
It’s up to the coaching staff to figure out which combination gives them the better group of players.
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