Pro Football Focus: Two Jets’ offensive linemen named ‘most underrated’

Football is the ultimate team sport, which is why several NFL players who deserve household-name recognition will instead languish in obscurity if their team isn’t winning. This is especially true for offensive linemen, who already lack the kind of acknowledgement that their teammates get.

One NFL analyst wants to highlight some of these players from losing teams. Zoltan Buday from Pro Football Focus compiled a list of the two most underrated players at each offensive line position, and the New York Jets were featured twice: left guard John Simpson, entering just his second season with the Jets, and right guard Alijah Vera-Tucker.

Regarding Simpson, whose breakout year in 2024 went overlooked due to the Jets’ overall dysfunction, Buday writes, “Across his first four seasons in the league, Simpson earned a positive grade on just 12.0% of run plays and a negative grade on 18.0% of run plays. He turned the tables in 2024, garnering a positive grade on 22.2% of run plays and a negative on only 16.9% of run plays. His 79.2 PFF run-blocking grade ranked eighth among all guards, while his 77.3 PFF overall grade ranked 11th at the position.”

As for Vera-Tucker, Buday notes that injuries limited him in much of 2022 and 2023, leading to a comeback year in 2024. “Vera-Tucker logged only 682 snaps in his second and third seasons in the NFL but was back to his best in 2024, playing 916 snaps on offense and earning a career-high 77.7 PFF overall grade, which ranked 10th among 77 qualifying guards. The USC product finished 12th among guards in PFF pass-blocking grade (74.5) and PFF run-blocking grade (76.3).”

Amazingly, Simpson and Vera-Tucker may not even be New York’s highest upside offensive linemen. Joe Tippmann shook off a rough rookie year in 2023 and now looks primed for a Year 3 leap. Olu Fashanu and rookie Armand Membou could likewise end up being one of the league’s premier tackle duos.

The Jets are going to need a career year out of their O-line in 2025 if they’re going to have a chance of winning. Quarterback Justin Fields has historically struggled with holding onto the ball too long and will struggle if not given above-average protection. As for the running game, Breece Hall is aiming on a bounce back season but will struggle to do that without decent running lanes.

If all goes well in 2025, the Jets should be back to their winning ways and Simpson, Vera-Tucker, and the rest of the crew will finally get the recognition they deserve.