The Jets drafted former Miami defensive end Tyler Baron with their final pick in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL draft. Today we break Baron down in detail.
The 23-year old Baron is 6’5” and 258 pounds. He was an honorable mention all-ACC selection last year. He had 13.5 sacks in four years at Tennessee before transferring to Miami last year and registering 5.5 sacks.
Background
Baron was a four-star high school recruit who headed to Tennessee and recorded 21 tackles and a sack in a rotational role as a freshman in 2020.
In 2021, his role increased as he started five games and finished the season with 30 tackles and four sacks.
Baron’s production was down slightly in 2022, as he ended up with 22 tackles and 2.5 sacks having started three of 13 games.
However, his final year in Tennessee was his best as he started 11 games and had a career high six sacks. He also scored a touchdown on a fumble return.
He entered the transfer portal after the 2023 season and ended up with Miami where he had another productive season in 2024 with 5.5 sacks and a career-high 38 tackles. However, he was benched down the stretch after having started the first 10 games.
Baron was invited to the Senior Bowl and the NFL scouting combine before the Jets traded up and selected him with the final pick of the fifth round in April’s draft.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what Baron brings to the table as a player, based on extensive research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
At the time of writing, the Jets are currently listing Baron at 308 pounds, which is obviously a mistake. He weighed in at 258 at the scouting combine. Despite being tall, he lacks ideal length.
At his combine workout, Baron ran a 4.62 in the 40-yard dash and posted good explosiveness numbers. However, his bench press was only 19 reps. He didn’t do the agility drills at the combine, but when he did them at his pro day they were below average.
Usage
Baron has primarily played on the edge, but he also brings some versatility, as he regularly lined up as a 5-technique across from the tackle. He also lined up inside to good effect in certain pass rush packages and dropped into coverage from time to time, albeit mostly into short zones.
Motor
Baron is a high activity player who works hard in the trenches and in pursuit and will keep coming when his initial move is repelled.
He’s proven capable of handling a starter’s workload with five games where he played over 50 snaps, including two in 2024.
Pass rush
Baron has registered good pressure rates over the course of his career, with an upwards trend in the last two seasons. It’s also notable that he has generated pressure at a good rate against top-level opposition rather than padding his stats against weaker teams.
He seems to have the most success on inside moves and interior stunts. He even beat Armand Membou for a sack in 2022.
As an outside speed rusher, Baron has a decent get off and shows flashes of being able to bend the edge.
He has had success with the bull rush and on speed-to-power moves at times, but this is an area where he may need some more development time.
Over the course of his career, Baron has had a handful of pressures that have led directly to turnovers.
Run defense
Baron lacks ideal strength and can play with a narrow base, so he is often blocked out of plays at the point of attack.
On the whole, though, his run defense production and grades have been good over the past few seasons, and he’s shown signs that his strength at the point of attack is improving.
His quickness enables him to shoot gaps and make plays in the backfield, although his backside discipline can be inconsistent.
Technique
Baron’s pass rushing foundation is solid. He isn’t just aimlessly firing out of his stance and trying to beat the tackle to the edge. Instead he brings some deception and change of direction skills.
In terms of pass rush moves, he has shown that he can transition from one move to another smoothly, although as noted he seems to be at his most effective on a straightforward inside move.
Nitpicking slightly, he might have more success if he sharpens up his jab steps even more to sell the misdirection.
When lined up inside, his quickness is tough for interior linemen to deal with. In particular, he has a slick arm-over move that has proved effective against guards and centers.
Special teams
Baron hasn’t had many special teams contributions in his career, with most of his reps being on the field goal rush unit where he has had no production. He also rushed some punts and had a few snaps as a blocker in punt protection.
He had one penalty on special teams in his career, for jumping offside on a kick attempt.
Tackling
Baron hasn’t been a particularly productive tackler over the course of his career and has had issues finishing at times. His six missed tackles in 2024 represented a career-high.
When he does make a tackle, he’ll often wrestle a guy to the ground, apparently relying on effort more than technique. He also only had two forced fumbles in his career.
Coverage
Baron dropped back into coverage a few times per game on average last year, having also done so earlier on in his career, but not much in his last two seasons with the Vols.
This would be more of a change-up than a schematic choice because he doesn’t look particularly comfortable or display much range in coverage.
He had four passes defensed in his career but all of them were deflections at the line.
Instincts/Intelligence
Baron’s instincts can be somewhat inconsistent. Sometimes he shows excellent awareness and play recognition, but there are other times where he will misread a hand-off or be fooled by misdirection.
Fans were frustrated with him at times for not setting the edge, with a belief circulating that he was freelancing by shooting inside to try and make a play rather than sticking to his gap responsibility.
He jumped offside twice on defense in 2024.
Attitude/Demeanor
Baron describes himself as self-driven and has been praised for having had a good work ethic and getting himself in good shape. He has also been called a vocal leader. However, there may be some concerns about his loyalty and whether he is a team-first player.
At multiple junctures during his time with the Vols, speculation was rife that he was intending to transfer and he eventually did. Even that wasn’t straightforward as he initially committed to Ole Miss, then changed his mind and joined Louisville before changing his mind again and ending up in Miami.
Part of that was perhaps understandable because his father worked on Tennessee’s coaching staff when he committed there but resigned shortly afterwards following a head coaching change.
The other cause for concern is his benching late last year. Having started the first 10 games, Baron was demoted to the third team against Wake Forest and played just three snaps, on which he misread two consecutive runs and did not return. He came off the bench with a reduced workload in the last two games.
No reason for that benching was given but fan speculation is that it is tied to his lack of discipline in the running game and perhaps his attitude.
Injuries
Baron played in 61 games in his college career so he obviously wasn’t seriously affected by any injuries. He was knocked out of games with head and ankle injuries but returned to the lineup right afterwards.
He also reportedly had nagging injuries throughout the 2021 season that affected his playing time and production but didn’t cause him to miss any games.
Scheme Fit
Baron likely fits into the Jets defensive line rotation as a rotational edge behind Will McDonald and Jermaine Johnson. He’ll compete with the likes of Rashad Weaver, Micheal Clemons, Eric Watts and Braiden McGregor for a spot.
Aside from that, perhaps they’ve seen something in his ability to rush the interior that will lead to them carving out a role for him in some particular subpackages.
He was a teammate of fellow rookie Kiko Mauigoa and Leonard Taylor III at Miami. His defensive line coach was also Jason Taylor, whose son was also drafted by the Jets.
Conclusions
Baron’s film isn’t bad and he had some solid production, but it’s interesting that fans of both the Vols and Hurricanes didn’t seem too enamored with him.
The Jets have likely identified him as a player who showed growth throughout his college career that has the potential to be a solid contributor if they can work on his strength and technique.
Nevertheless, some of those attitude concerns would be something that the Jets must have given some consideration to before pulling the trigger on this pick. As a mid-to-late rounder in a position where the Jets have solid starters, there won’t be pressure on Baron to display immediate results and he perhaps doesn’t have an elite upside, but the Jets will hope to mold him into a useful piece.