Jets draft Mason Taylor, son of Hall of Famer Jason Taylor - ESPN

Pro Football Hall of Famer Jason Taylor, tissue in hand, dabbed tears from his eyes Friday night. He was overcome with emotion minutes after his son, former LSU tight end Mason Taylor, was drafted in the second round by the New York Jets — the team he played for in 2010.

«The sun has set on my career and I'm done, so it's awesome to be able to sit back and watch him,» Jason said on a Zoom call with New York reporters. «To watch him walk through the same facility and use the locker room and take that same path that I took — you're trying to make me cry. I'm not going to do it.»

Taylor did anyway. He paused a few seconds, choked up. Then something amazing happened.

Lightening the mood, Taylor said, «I have to say it: J-E-T-S! Jets, Jets, Jets!»

To appreciate that, one must understand the complicated relationship between Taylor and the Jets. As a longtime Miami Dolphins legend, he was reviled by Jets' fans. Few, if any, opponents enraged Jets fans more than Taylor.

And then he signed with the Jets in 2010, a season that ended with a loss in the AFC championship game — their last playoff appearance. He enjoyed his season in New York, where the fans came to appreciate him.

And now the hate-turned-love relationship between the Taylor family and the Jets is all love again.

«My family's really supporting, my dad's a big supporter, so, I mean, I hate to say it, but I think he'll love the Jets,» Mason, smiling, said on a Zoom.

Mason Taylor was selected with the 42nd pick, giving the Jets another potential starter on offense. In the first round, they chose tackle Armand Membou with the No. 7 pick.

Mason, LSU's all-time leader in receptions (129) and receiving yards (1,308) by a tight end, said he was surprised that the Jets