Armand Membou becomes Mizzou’s first Top-10 draft pick since 2011

GREEN BAY, Wis. (KMIZ)

For the first time in 13 years, Mizzou football has a Top-10 pick in the NFL Draft to boast about.

On Thursday night, offensive lineman Armand Membou was selected with the No. 7 overall pick by the New York Jets. He is MU's highest draft pick since Aldon Smith went No. 7 overall in 2011.

The Lee's Summit native saw his draft stock skyrocket, following the conclusion of the NFL Combine up in Indianapolis. He took the internet by storm with his lightning-quick 40-yard dash time. The 6-foot-4, 332-pound offensive tackle clocked in with a 4.91, which turned out to be the second-fastest time by an offensive lineman at the Combine. Membou did have the fastest time of any o-lineman that is at least 6-foot-4 and 330 pounds since 2003.

He also had the best broad jump among offensive lineman, ending with a 9-foot, 7-inch mark. He ended up tied for fourth among linemen in the vertical jump, hitting 34 inches.

Ever since then, he was consistently projected as a Top-10 pick in this year's NFL Draft.

Membou will head to the next level, after starting in 30 games for the Tigers over the course of three seasons, including every game of the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. In his final year in Columbia, he was rated as one of the best offensive linemen in the country, allowing just one sack and playing primarily at right tackle.

He also played quite a bit of right tackle in 2023, when his unit finished with a semifinalist designation for the prestigious Joe Moore Award, which is given to the best offensive line in the country.

Membou came to Columbia as a four-star recruit out of high school, ranking as the No. 7 overall prospect in the state of Missouri and the No. 15 interior offensive lineman in the country. Before coming to campus, he helped lead Lee's Summit North to an 11-2 record and a Missouri Class 6 State Semifinal berth.

Membou will now get ready to make New York his new home.