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Intro To Will McDonald…. No Wonder Why the Jets Love This Guy.

32EBoozer

By 32EBoozer
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32EBoozer

32EBoozer

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Will McDonald IV, the Jets' first-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft, has a lot going for him. There's his athleticism, his devotion to his college and his love for his family. Here are five things to know about the Green & White's new edge-rushing defensive lineman.

No Pro Ceiling
McDonald was asked Thursday night how good he can be as an NFL player. He went right for the top.

"I'm just going to try to get into the Hall of Fame," he said. "I don't think I have a ceiling. I just want to keep rising, keep improving one percent every day and do what I can do."

What kind of player will Jets fans see in his rookie season? He has a little bit of that "violence" that HC Robert Saleh likes to see in his team.

"I love hitting people," he said. "It goes exactly with my game. So I'm just real excited right now. I can't wait to get there and start practicing."

Ending a Half-Century Drought
"I don't really care about being first round, second, third," McDonald said at ISU's pro day last month. "It's all about the production and how you do against the guy lining up across from you."

The Jets were the first NFL team to ignore McDonald's lack of concern over his draft position, taking him 15th overall in the NFL Draft on Thursday night.

Quite the Athlete
McDonald came to football late in his high school career. "I was a real big basketball player at first," he explained of the sport he turned to when he transferred to Waukesha North as a Wisconin high school sophomore. "At first, my football head coach, Coach Harris, kept coming to me after basketball practice and asking me to try out. My junior year, I took it serious and just went with it."

He also lettered in track and baseball, and excelled especially in the "field" portion of track and field, winning a state title in the discus and finishing third in the high jump. He showed more of that athleticism at this year's NFL Combine, unfurling an 11-0 broad jump that was tied for best at the Combine among all D-linemen.

Family Ties
The McDonald family is tight, in part from battling medical issues. His mother, Chandra Williams, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 but was considered cancer-free by 2012. However, Will's brother died in 2021.

"I want him to see me do great," said Will, who wears a chain with his brother's picture on it, butterfly tattoos in his memory on his neck and a special earring, all to remind him who he's playing for. "It just means a lot to come back and do things that I do so my family can see me do it."

That Old College Try
McDonald played in parts of five seasons, including one redshirt year, at Iowa State, so he could have left Ames for the NFL last season. But there was a very good reason he stayed at school: He was a few credits shy of becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. So he returned for the '22 season and also got his degree, fulfilling a promise to his mother.

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Larz

Larz

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27 minutes ago, David Harris said:

It’s nothing against the kid, more about not addressing our weakest spot which could ruin AR’s window. 
 

nice kid

I mean if Brown and Becton are left tackles, they need a RT.  Fant is out there as are others. Could find a RT today. It’s not like the jets are going 10v 11.  Is the oline a great spot for rookies this year?   It’s really not the train wreck a lot of people are claiming it to be. 
 

We’ll know more in a month and this year’s mini draft is going to be epic , there is only 1 cutdown, from 90 to 53. 
 

Rodgers will help pull a RT out of that crowd, worst case scenario 

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FidelioJet

FidelioJet

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7 minutes ago, neckdemon said:

because the criteria is who can get to the quarterback....not who weighs more

Huff gets to the QB better than anyone on the edge on the team - and he can barely get on the field because he's too small to play the run in this defense.

Huff like #'s are probably McDonald's ceiling. 

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Tony The Wiz

Tony The Wiz

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Like I said. McDonald is an excellent football player.  His dad played college football and in the Canadian league. So he comes from a football family. He is all about speed and determination and he is a sure first round prospect. Jason Taylor is a good comparison. He needs to put on just a few pounds but this guy is a martial arts guy. I just thought that because Rogers got signed that the Jets needed to get better on offense. Especially  at his position. 

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