Missouri Tackle Armand Membou Doesn’t Live Up to the Hype

Missouri Offensive tackle Armand Membou has recently become a hot topic of this year’s draft. Membou’s name has shot up draft boards in the past couple of weeks, rising from a late first-round prospect to a projected top-10 pick (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

The New York Post, The 33rd Team, Pro Football Network, and many other sites have Membou projected to go in the first round.

The way hype trains catch on with these guys fascinates me. Calling Membou a top-ten pick is egregious.

Let’s get into why:

Background

Membou was a 4-star player out of high school and committed to Missouri in the spring of 2021 (247Sports). He is a junior who has played in 35 games and started 29 games across his college football career.

Concerns about his arm length (33 1/2) have sparked discussions on whether he should bump inside to guard.

#79 Armand Membou 6-foot-3, 314 pounds 
Rajvir Bal’s 2025 NFL Draft Grade: Third-Round (I wouldn’t select him)
Projected by 41.6% of the NFL Draft Community to be a first-round pick as of March 24, 2025 (nflmockdraftdatabase.com)

2024 Game Film Reviewed: Boston College, Texas A&M, South Carolina (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

Plays Quick

Membou plays fast on film, and that’s confirmed by his 4.91 40-yard dash time at the NFL Combine. He gets into his sets quickly, with his back leg exploding, and he quickly gets his hands on the offensive lineman across from him.

For his large size, he’s impressively fast.

Any other pros

• Plays at a good pad level
• Gets downhill well
• Nice sized frame

Soft Football Player

Yeah, I said it.

Here are the things that turned me off about Membou:

• Doesn’t look for work
• Fails to use his size to his advantage
• Allows smaller defenders to knock him around too easily

He seems to lug around the field instead of playing like a stone-cold killer.

Kick Inside?

I feel Membou should kick inside to guard at the next level.

He was constantly over-setting at tackle and getting beaten inside by smarter and quicker defensive linemen.

Membou’s spatial awareness is poor, which will be a major issue for him at the next level. Too often, he allows defensive ends to push him into the pocket and lets them set the edge far too easily.

His arm length only adds to my concerns, limiting his ability to engage defenders effectively.

Moving him inside to guard won’t completely cover up his weaknesses but could allow them to be exploited less.

Ten Adjectives

Quick. Undisciplined. Soft. Unaware. Sluggish. Inconsistent. Strong (physically). Hesitant. Misdirected. Stiff.

NFL Crystal Ball

Chicago Bears

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Pro Comp: Offensive Tackle Josh Jones

In 2020, Jones came into the NFL out of the University of Houston as a third-round pick. He has played for the Cardinals, Texans, Ravens and Seahawks to date.

Role on Team: High-end backup tackle/guard–spot starter

Final Words

Drafting Membou in the top 32 is a fireable offense for an NFL general manager.

Rajvir Bal is a high school student from the Virginia area. He grew up a rabid Washington Redskins fan, attending more than 30 games, and has enjoyed the team’s high points and low points throughout his life. He plays varsity football and basketball. Rajvir has taken an interest in the NFL Draft since middle school when his team picked Montez Sweat and Dwayne Haskins in the first round. His favorite NFL player ever flips between Rob Gronkowski and Brett Favre, and his favorite athlete is LeBron James. He has been writing his own scouting reports since 2020, and is excited for the opportunities FirstRoundMock provides.