Will McDonald on Being Drafted by the NY Jets: “It was a blessing”

[JetNation]

The New York Jets selected Will McDonald in the 1st round of the 2023 NFL draft. McDonald spoke to the media about that it was like being drafted by the Jets. It was a blessing, he said.

He talked about picking up football late, and before his scholarship offer he was going to be headed to the Army. He also discusses his sports upbringing as he played basketball, wrestled and rode a unicycle.

He was asked about his weight and said he is currently at 240. He is working on putting on some weight and wants to report at 250 pounds.

Here is Will McDonald’s scouting report by Pro Football Network.

Will McDonald IV NFL Draft Profile

• Position: Edge Rusher
• School: Iowa State
• Current Year: Redshirt Senior
• Height/Weight: 6’3 1/2″, 241 pounds
• Length: 35″
• Wingspan: 82 3/8″
• Hand: 9″

Across four seasons as a consistent contributor on defense, and across three as a full-time starter, McDonald amassed 122 tackles, 39.5 tackles for loss, 33 sacks, seven deflections, and nine forced fumbles. Add in McDonald’s 2018 campaign, in which he preserved his redshirt, and he’s over the 40-mark in TFLs.

Strengths

• Extremely explosive athlete with effortless get-off and a blistering first step.
• Brings overwhelming energy and twitch as a lateral twitch, easily off-setting blockers.
• Has the explosive freedom to throttle up quickly and pass the apex with blazing speed.
• Has the necessary ankle flexion to reduce his surface area while cornering.
• Has elite proportional length, which he can combine with burst to generate power.
• Has shown to bait tackles with initial rushing angles and feigned bull rushes.
• Flashes the ability to stack counters, such as double swipe-rip, around the edge.
• Very flexible athlete who can easily lower himself and acquire leverage.
• Can levy rapid spin moves and use his length to stab the ice pick and finish.
• Explosive athleticism and elite length culminate in strong pursuit utility.

Areas for Improvement

• Lacks mass overall and can be easily handled by stronger, wider blockers.
• Has below-average lower body strength, which impedes his ability to set the edge.
• Lighter lower body drains from maximum power capacity, even when loading his base.
• With lacking play strength and lighter mass, can be easily displaced in run defense.
• Doesn’t always have the strength to rip free from blocks after breaching the apex.
• Hands can be quicker and more precise on swipes and rip moves around the corner.
• With longer arms, has some extraneous hand motion and inefficiency to cut down on.
• Doesn’t quite have elite hip flexibility, and sometimes gets locked out at the apex.
• Will be a 24-year-old rookie during the 2023 season.

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