Taylor found an ideal landing spot in the second round of the 2025 Draft, going to the Jets with the 42nd overall pick after a college career in which he averaged 436 yards and two touchdowns per season at LSU. He's one of the youngest incoming rookies, celebrating his 21st birthday two weeks after the draft, but he may nonetheless prove a quick study in the NFL, seeing as he was a three-year starter in the SEC and is the son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor. (Mason) Taylor skipped drills at the combine before boosting his draft stock at LSU's pro day, where he ran a 4.65 40 and put up a lineman-like total of 28 bench-press reps at 6-foot-5, 246 pounds. While impressive raw strength doesn't always translate to good blocking, Taylor has a nice opportunity to be the Week 1 starter for a team whose veteran tight ends have failed to make a mark in the NFL as either blockers or pass catchers (combined career totals of 644 yards and one TD). The Jets figure to deploy a run-first offense with dual-threat quarterback Justin Fields, but there's nonetheless an opportunity for the rookie to see a good number of targets, as the team lacks weapons beyond WR Garrett Wilson and RB Breece Hall.
