The New York Jets select Armand Membou No. 7 overall in NFL Draft

Former Lee's Summit North high school standout Armand Membou put down his tennis racket and picked up weight

Nov 18, 2023; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Armand Membou (79) at the line of scrimmage against the Florida Gators during the game at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. / Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Somewhere in the KC Metro, someone is bragging to friends that they used to play tennis against NFL first-round draft pick Armand Membou. Membou was selected at No. 7 overall in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, Thursday night, by the New York Jets.

But before you go laughing that person off or refuse to take them seriously, consider this: Membou used to always have a racket handy.

Some people were born to be elite football players. Others transform into elite football players.

Armand Membou transformed into an elite football player.

Growing up in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Membou sampled just about every sport he could – football, basketball, wrestling, even soccer and, yes, tennis.

Of course, that was several inches and more than 100 pounds before the now 6-foot-3, 325-pound Mizzou offensive tackle began serving SEC defenders with forehands.

Quick and athletic, but thin and undersized early in his high school career, Membou wasn’t on anyone’s radar when he entered the ninth grade. Heck, he wasn’t really on Lee’s Summit North’s radar right away either.

“[Lee’s Summit North coach Jamar Mozee] told me I had a chance to go to varsity,” Membou told SBLive Sports during the 2021-22 season. “In my head, I said, ‘I have to work.’ I wanted this, so I started working out, going to the gym and lifting on my own and eating right. At the same time, I started to grow the spring of my sophomore year. That combination helped me progress my junior year.”

Unlike other stars, he wasn’t a four-year varsity starter. He spent his first two seasons playing with the freshman and junior varsity teams.

He’s also very intelligent, and intuitive enough to understand that size and strength were a necessity if he wanted to crack the starting lineup, let alone play in college.

Mar 2, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri offensive lineman Armand Membou (OL28) during the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

In many ways, that mentality is what shaped Membou into the player he has become. But so did COVID and his mother’s cooking.

Right around the time the pandemic reshaped everyone’s lives, Membou was already in the process of reshaping his own.

He’d put down the racket, pick up a fork, lift a ton of weights and try to crack a starting job. And right on time, he hit another growth spurt.

Where did the 2025 NFL Draft's top prospects play high school football

The results were staggering. Membou not only cracked Lee’s Summit West’s roster as a junior, but he also started stacking more pancakes and picking up collegiate offers.

He eventually earned a four-star ranking by 247Sports and a three-star from ESPN and Rivals. When Eli Drinkwitz and the Missouri Tigers reached out, Membou didn’t need long to make his decision.

On Thursday, some NFL team won’t need long to make its decision to select Membou. Some projections, like one from NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, has suggested Membou could go as high as pick No. 7 to the New York Jets.

“If he ain’t a first-round pick, I don’t know who is. He’s that good.” Those were the words of Membou’s former high school coach, Jamar Mozee, now a senior assistant coach with Matt Rhule’s Nebraska Cornhuskers, in an interview with the Columbia Missourian.

.@MizzouFootball OT Armand Membou has all the potential to be the next great tackle in the NFL 💪 @armandmembou

📺: 2025 #NFLDraft – April 24-26 on NFLN/ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on @NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/Tp5CT7i6LO

— NFL (@NFL) April 15, 2025

Mozee should know a thing or two about what that looks like. He’s coached some fantastic players.

His 2021 roster at Lee’s Summit North sported five players who went on to play Division I football, and there’s a great chance more first-rounders are coming.

As wild as it sounds, the Broncos that year had Membou, standout Mizzou left tackle Cayden Green, a four-star recruit who began his career at Oklahoma before transferring to Missouri, Mozee’s son, Isaiah “Ike” Mozee, a four-star wide receiver now at Nebraska, Williams Nwaneri, a five-star defensive end who began his career at Missouri before transferring to Nebraska, and current Missouri wide receiver Logan Muckey.  

While he mostly played right tackle during his three-year career with the Tigers (he started 29 of 35 career games at the position, picking up 2024 Second Team All-SEC honors along the way and helping Mizzou’s linemen finish as semifinalists for the Joe Moore Award in 2023), Membou also earns high marks for his versatility and ability to play the guard position at a high level.

Oct 12, 2024; Amherst, Massachusetts, USA; Missouri Tigers offensive lineman Armand Membou (79) lines up against the Massachusetts Minutemen during the first half at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium. / Eric Canha-Imagn Images

For NFL teams, that versatility makes him less of a risk going forward.

He’s a punishing blocker, especially in the running game where he helped open lanes for 2023 Burlsworth Trophy winner and current L.A. Rams running back Cody Schrader during his storied career.

Coaches and teammates rave about his character, and we’ve already gone over his work ethic.

It seems there isn’t much keeping Membou from hearing his name called on Thursday night from Lambeau Field. And who knows? Maybe it’ll be the Packers waving him to his new home?

Either way, when his name is finally called, among all the racket, Membou will probably thank his lucky stars he put down the racket.

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