Jets' Mason Taylor staying present no matter rich NFL family blood
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Mason Taylor has plenty of Hall of Fame DNA in his blood.

The rookie Jets tight end, picked in the second round this year, is the son of famed pass rusher Jason Taylor and the nephew of former star linebacker Zach Thomas.

Expectations are high for Taylor, who is likely to immediately slot in as the starting tight end.

He has a strong support system to handle — and meet — those expectations.

“My dad sent me a message saying, ‘Just stay where your feet are,’ ” Taylor shared after Saturday’s practice. “That’s a common saying in our family — take it day by day, tackle the day. Enhance yourself daily, and truly be present. Avoid looking into the future or dwelling on the past, and capitalize on every opportunity you have.”

Taylor excelled as a pass catcher at LSU, achieving 55 catches for 546 yards and two touchdowns in his junior year. However, his run blocking was an aspect needing development before the draft.


Jets tight end Mason Taylor speaks to the media after practice at training camp in Florham Park, NJ.
Jets tight end Mason Taylor speaks to the media after practice at training camp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Listed at 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, Taylor has the physique to develop into a complete tight end. He’s confident he is making strides as a blocker.

“I think it’s really just diving back into the fundamentals of things, the footwork, hand placement, pad level,” Taylor said. “So those are things that I’m trying to get better on every single day. Learning from our tight ends, the coaches here, and really just emphasizing that, and pre-practice drills, the hand placement and everything like that. I’m kind of harping on that, and the importance of that has really been helping me as a blocker.

“So I say those little things really do add up.”


Jets tight end Mason Taylor (85) makes a catch during practice at training camp in Florham Park, NJ.
Jets tight end Mason Taylor makes a catch during practice at training camp in Florham Park, NJ. Bill Kostroun/New York Post

Head coach Aaron Glenn believes there’s another level to Breece Hall’s game that he hasn’t shown. Hall is entering a pivotal season individually, on the last year of his four-year rookie contract.

“You can do a lot with Breece,” Glenn said. “We’re gonna open his game up quite a bit. He’s the type of guy you can split out wide and let him run the route tree, because he can run it like a receiver. And I like that matchup with him against a safety or a linebacker. … I think this year, you’re gonna see a guy that’s really gonna turn it up a notch because of what we’re gonna do, who we’re gonna be and because of who he is also.”


Jermaine Johnson, who suffered a torn Achilles last year, posted on X on July 25 that he was “cleared.” He remains on the PUP list and has not yet joined his teammates on the field, though. Glenn said the expectation is still that Johnson will be ready for Week 1.

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