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Jets select EDGE Will McDonald IV with No. 15 pick in 2023 NFL Draft

alex smith
·2 min read
Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald IV (9) tries to get past Ohio offensive linemen Hagen Meservy (76) and Shedrick Rodes Jr. (64) during the game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The Cyclones are up at halftime against the Bobcats, 30-3.
Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald IV (9) tries to get past Ohio offensive linemen Hagen Meservy (76) and Shedrick Rodes Jr. (64) during the game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The Cyclones are up at halftime against the Bobcats, 30-3. / Margaret Kispert/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Jets have selected Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald IV with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Jets had their eyes on taking an offensive tackle in the first round, but after trading back to No. 15 in the Aaron Rodgers trade, the Jets saw the Pittsburgh Steelers jump ahead of them at No. 14 and take Georgia's Broderick Jones, likely the top tackle remaining on the Jets' board.

McDonald, 6-foot-4, 230 pounds, started 12 games for the Cyclones in 2022, recording 36 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 5.0 sacks, earning First Team All-Big-12 honors. He also played both as a defensive tackle and an edge rusher over the course of his career at Iowa State, proving to be a versatile piece along the defensive line.

McDonald said on Thursday night that he met with the Jets during the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., and he'd ready to do whatever he's asked by the coaches in order to help his new team win games.

“I’m going to bring everything that I can, whether it’s special teams, being a role player, whatever I’ve got to do,” McDonald said. “A lot of things I learned at Iowa State, a lot of discipline, a lot of poise, learning to make the right decisions, being around good teammates. I was just following the pack, doing whatever I can do to help everybody around me.”

The Jets rebuilt their secondary last offseason by pairing reigning Defensive Rookie of the Year Sauce Gardner with DJ Reed to give them one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL. And while Quinnen Williams is a monster up front, it was clear that the Jets needed to add another skilled pass-rusher in order to really get the best out of all three levels of their defense.

Gang Green still ranked near the top of the league in sacks last season, finishing tied for seventh with 45.0 as a team, but Williams (12.0) and Carl Lawson (7.0) were the only two individual players with more than 5.0 sacks on the year.

The Jets got the job done collectively in terms of getting to the quarterback, but with 2022 first-rounder Jermaine Johnson Jr. getting off to a bit of a slow start to his career (2.5 sacks in 14 games), the Jets decided to add another young talent up front.