​Throughout the summer, we will continue counting down the Jets roster, player by player. We pick up the series with Mason Taylor.
Name: Mason Taylor
Number: 85
Year With Jets: 2nd
Projected Role: Number two tight end
His 2025: The Jets selected Taylor in the second round of the 2025 NFL Draft out of LSU. At the time of the pick, it seemed his game could use some refinement. In a typical situation, Taylor might have logged limited snaps and concentrated on practicing to develop. Because the Jets lacked quality at tight end, Taylor ended up playing 81 percent of the snaps.
On one hand, he led the team with 44 receptions and finished second with 369 receiving yards. Considering the quarterback play for much of the season was below NFL caliber, those numbers aren’t nothing. On the other hand, Taylor didn’t consistently flash high-end ability. While Adonai Mitchell had a game where he dominated and surpassed 100 yards, Taylor’s most productive day as a receiver came in a 67-yard performance against Dallas early in the season, most of his production coming in garbage time.
Is that the end of the world? Not really. The Jets’ passing game was completely inept in 2025, and lofty expectations for Taylor weren’t in play anyway. He performed adequately relative to what was anticipated. Anecdotally, I can’t point to a quarterback-independent area where Taylor looked like a potential difference maker; he didn’t show substantial ability to separate on deep routes, break tackles after the catch, or block consistently. Perhaps those skills will develop with time.
2026 will be a success if: Taylor becomes a solid chain mover and a dependable security blanket for Geno Smith.
Taylor’s trajectory and expectations shifted with the selection of Kenyon Sadiq in the NFL Draft. Sadiq is now the primary tight end, allowing Taylor to assume a supporting role. He will still see significant playing time as the Jets are likely to deploy extensive double-tight end formations.
That could be the best development for him. The absence of game-breaking ability recedes with Sadiq in the lineup, giving Taylor room to refine his route running and emerge as a reliable short-game target. That level of contribution could be more than sufficient with Sadiq occupying the higher-impact role.
Odds of making the roster: Lock (>99%) for better SEO.