Jets rookie LG Alijah Vera-Tucker earned Pro Football Focus' highest grade in Week 5 among NFL offensive linemen at 92.4. He had a run-block grade of 90.6 and a pass-block grade of 88.9.
"Ali Vera-Tucker is just playing at a really high level," NFL Network's Brian Baldinger said in recent a film breakdown of AVT's performance against the Falcons. "He's going to be a good player for a long time in all phases."
General manager Joe Douglas traded up from 23 to 14 to select Vera-Tucker out of USC, a player who offered tackle and guard versatility. He played left guard in 2019 for the Trojans before kicking out to left tackle in 2020 and earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors. He won the Morris Trophy in 2020, which is given to the best offensive and defensive linemen in the Pac-12 as voted on by the players in the conference.
Vera-Tucker has played in all of the Jets' 309 snaps on offense after missing the preseason with a pec injury. In addition to earning PFF's top grade among all offensive linemen in Week 5, he's been the fifth-ranked guard over the last two weeks.
"His improvement from Game 1 to Game 2, particularly in the run game, was very very good indeed," offensive line coach and run-game coordinator John Benton said in September. "Just that adjustment, you wish you could have gotten that adjustment in the preseason, but it didn't work out. … I fully expect even continued improvement out of him."
