Will McDonald’s film showcases why the New York Jets love his potential
Weeks, if not months before the 2023 NFL draft kicked off, New York Jets fans had an offensive tackle penciled in with the Jets’ first-round pick.
Fans established a “Big 3” early on between offensive tackles Peter Skoronski, Paris Johnson Jr. and Broderick Jones, while Darnell Wright slipped himself into the conversation later to form a “Big 4”.
Even better, fans assumed that surely four offensive tackles wouldn’t be off the board based on the “strength” of the cornerback, quarterback and defensive line classes. Even after the Aaron Rodgers trade pushed the Jets down from No. 13 to No. 15, fans were confident there was no way all four tackles would be gone before New York’s pick.
Unfortunately for fans, that was exactly the case. All of the “Big 4” offensive tackles were off of the board by the time New York came onto the clock at No. 15. At this point, most assumed the Jets would pivot to taking a defensive tackle or a wide receiver.
Wrong again. With the 15th pick of the 2023 NFL draft, the New York Jets selected defensive end Will McDonald IV.
It was an absolute shock to Jet fans, as the Jets are already loaded at edge rusher with the likes of Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Meyers, Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff and Micheal Clemons.
That’s a ton of investment into one position. But Joe Douglas was true to two of the regime’s mission statements: one being to build through the trenches and two being to always take the best player available.
On the newest edition of Blewett’s Blitz, we take a look at Will McDonald’s film to learn everything there is to know about him as a player. We’ll answer these pressing questions and much more:
- How does this pick make sense?
- Where does Will McDonald IV fit in the Jets’ defense?
- Is he even a scheme fit?
- How can he develop into a full-time player?
Plus, a full list of McDonald’s strengths and weaknesses is listed at the bottom of the page!
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Full member-only Will McDonald film breakdown + list of strengths/weaknesses
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