The Jets surprised people on Thursday night by taking edge rusher Will McDonald with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
The expectation had been the Jets would take an offensive tackle but with the top four all off the board, the Jets had to pivot.
They added to an already deep edge rushing group because they believe McDonald can be special.
The Jets had him rated as the best pass rusher in the draft.
That does not mean he was the best overall player at edge rusher in their group but for the specific skill of rushing, he was the top guy for them.
There are questions about his age (24 this season) and size (240 pounds) but you can’t question his production in college and the Jets love his traits.
Here are some of my thoughts on the pick:
1. My biggest question is, how Robert Saleh is going to get all these edge guys on the field?
The Jets defensive end group looks like this right now: Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, Jermaine Johnson, Bryce Huff, Micheal Clemons and McDonald. That is a lot of guys.
Saleh loves to rotate players and send “waves” of fresh pass rushers at the quarterback, but this is a lot.
McDonald is probably not ready to play on first and second down as a rookie.
He needs to add size and adjust to the NFL.
That means he would be a “designated pass rusher,” coming in on third downs and other passing situations.
But that is also the role Johnson and Huff fill right now.
Could the Jets bump Clemons inside to defensive tackle?
That might make sense since that position looks thin right now.
Lawson and Huff are free agents after this season, so McDonald has a good long-term future with the Jets.
It is just tough right now to see what his role will be as a rookie.
You want the No. 15 overall pick to be on the field and to have an immediate impact.
That might be difficult for McDonald.
2. Here is why I hate covering the draft: we don’t know enough about these players to make any real judgments after they are picked.
I did not watch Iowa State play this year.
I don’t know how good McDonald is.
We rely on the draft gurus to tell us.
So if they say he is a second-round pick and he goes in the middle of the first round, we think it is unexpected and a surprise.
We have no idea if 28 teams actually had McDonald rated as high as the Jets.
That is why it is always wait and see with rookies.
Draft grades are incredibly dumb.
We just don’t know enough about these players, and the pre-draft narratives shaped by the draftniks colors the perception of the player when he is drafted.
It is not really fair and should be taken with a grain of salt.
3. This was a good night for Mekhi Becton.
The 2020 first-round pick now has a clearer path to regaining a starting job at either tackle spot this summer.
If the Jets had drafted a tackle in the first round, things would have gotten interesting with Becton and Duane Brown both returning from injuries.
The Jets could still take a tackle in this draft but anyone now will be fighting to take the job from Becton or Brown.
Becton has gotten himself into great shape and if he can return to the form he showed when he was healthy as a rookie, the Jets offensive line will have a much different look from last year.
4. One stat to look at with McDonald is his forced fumbles.
He had 10 of them in his time at Iowa State.
As good as the Jets defense was last year, they did not create enough turnovers, particularly down the stretch.
The Jets only recovered four fumbles last season.
McDonald is long (82 ⅜ inch wingspan) and gets great bend around the edge.
“He’s just got a unique ability to catch the corner and he’s got elite length to get the ball out, so he’s going to be special,” Saleh said.
5. The Jets enter Friday night with just one pick in the second round and none in the third.
I think Joe Douglas will be working hard to find a trade partner to move back and acquire more picks.
The Jets only have four more picks in this draft.
Douglas comes from the Ravens school of having a high volume of picks.
If the Jets do stick at No. 43 overall or even if they move back a little, they need to address the offensive line at some point.
I think center moves to the forefront now.
The Jets should have a chance at getting one of the best centers in the draft in Minnesota’s John Michael Schmitz or Wisconsin’s Joe Tippmann.
To me, that is better than taking the sixth-best tackle.
Linebacker and tight end are also possibilities because there is going to be value there.