Updated, 5:51 p.m. ET
The Jets, having traded their fourth-round pick to New Orleans on Friday, opened the third and final day of the draft by taking Virginia offensive tackle Oday Aboushi with the eighth pick of Round 5, the 141st overall.
Aboushi, a Brooklyn, N.Y., native, started every game in each of his final three seasons at UVa. Standing 6"5' and weighing 308 pounds, he is regarded as a strong, aggressive blocker with special football instincts.
He is the first tackle taken by the Jets out of Virginia since ... well, since they took D'Brickashaw Ferguson fourth overall in the 2006 draft. For Aboushi, the thought of playing alongside Ferguson, a three-time Pro Bowler is special.
"Working with a fellow Wahoo is always good," Aboushi said of Brick, "and I'm sure he'll teach me the ways and kind of continue that brotherhood as we were taught at Virginia so I'm excited to work with him and hopefully I'll be hearing from him soon."
Aboushi becomes the ninth Cavalier drafted by the Jets since they took TE Billy Griggs in the eighth round in 1984.
His background is unique as both his parents were born in Palestine. He is the ninth of 10 children and his family still occasionally speaks Arabic.
He also isn't the only person in his family who played Division I football — his older brother, Aymen, was a standout defensive tackle at Fordham back in the early 2000s, earning All-Patriot League second-team honors as a senior.
In high school, Aboushi split time between the offensive and defensive lines. What stood out to collegiate coaches who were recruiting him was his play on the O-line.
Before the combine, some draft analysts viewed Aboushi as a second-round selection. His stock declined following the combine, but his experience in four seasons at Virginia was still something teams valued.
"I didn't really pay attention to that," he said. "I just wanted an opportunity to play and help a team win."
NFL.com compares Aboushi to Bears guard Eben Britton. Interestingly, Britton is also a Brooklyn native.
Even though Aboushi played left tackle at Virginia, he could be able to transition to right tackle or guard.
"I'm going to play any position," he said, "wherever I'm needed to play, whatever is going to help the team be better and help the line come together as a group. I know Coach [Mike] Devlin has some ideas for me and I'm willing to work with what he's got."
