NFL Combine Update: New York Jets have met with Temple center Matthew Hennessy

New York Jets meet with another offensive lineman at the NFL Combine.

The New York Jets are certainly doing their due diligence at the NFL Combine with another offensive lineman. This one has local ties as well as a bloodline to the team. 

A three-year starter at center at Temple, Matthew Hennessy is one of several intriguing names that could pop on the Jets radar. The belief is that at the next level he will likely play guard. 

Most projections have Hennessy solidly as a mid-round selection but he is certainly rising, and for a team that will have to be very active in free agency and the NFL Draft in adding bodies to the offensive line, this prospect could certainly fit immediate needs. 

A source tells SportsIllustrated.com that Hennessy had an informal meeting with the Jets this week at the NFL Combine. He had a formal meeting with the team already at the Senior Bowl, the source said. 

Hennessy had formal meetings with the Chicago Bears, Tennessee Titans and the San Francisco 49ers among other teams at the NFL Combine.

The Jets have been linked to a number of offensive linemen throughout the combine and that isn’t terribly surprising given the state of the unit. According to general manager Joe Douglas, the only returning starter from Week 1 still under contract with the Jets is Brian Winters. That alone means changes are coming. 

Not to mention that the offensive line as a whole was weak last year and needs upgrading. 

Hennessy fits the mold of what the Jets would want in a guard, a rough and tough center who seems to thrive on physical play. He has good size at 6-feet-4-inches and 307 pounds and showed well enough in his workouts (5.18 in the 40, 23 repetitions in the 225-pound bench press) to solidly answer questions about his physique and build. 

His brother, Thomas, currently plays for the Jets as their long snapper.