Will McDonald proves doubters wrong through first five weeks

[JetNation]

The New York Jets picked up Will McDonald in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. At 15th overall, many fans quickly doubted this move and called for Douglas’s head. With Bryce Huff and Jermaine Johnson, where was the need for someone like Will McDonald on the team? This was a valid question for Jets fans at the time. However, to say those fans were wrong about McDonald would be a massive understatement.

In his rookie season, McDonald played 15 games. He picked up just 14 total tackles off of nine solos and five assists. He also picked up three sacks and forced one fumble. These are all respectable stats for someone who was in his first year. However, with Bryce Huff running things on the defensive line, there were still questions about McDonald, and those questions still led to doubts by man. So far in the beginning of the new campaign, McDonald continued to prove doubters wrong in a massive way.

Will McDonald continues to prove doubters wrong through the first five weeks

To say Will McDonald has been proving naysayers wrong so far would be an understatement. Even though McDonald was still met with criticism before this year, fans knew he would have to come up big with Bryce Huff now moving on to Philadelphia. McDonald so far on the season has picked up 12 total tackles from nine solos and three assists. McDonald also has seven total sacks through only five weeks. This is double his number of sacks for the entire season last year. On top of that, he has one forced fumble.

McDonald’s best game so far came back in Week 2 against the Tennessee Titans. He picked up four total tackles, forced one fumble, and got to the quarterback three times. He also became the first Jet since Jamal Adams in 2019 to pick up three sacks in a single game. With his seven total sacks, McDonald sits tied for second with Dexter Lawrence, behind only Detroit Lions elite edge rusher Aiden Hutchinson. For a second-year player, this is some elite company to be in, and McDonald has been holding his own against some of the NFL’s best.

McDonald’s on-field play has been holding down the fort while Haason Reddick continues his holdout. Hopefully, Reddick will be back sooner than later and add even more depth to what could be one of the NFL’s best defensive fronts. Unfortunately, losing Jermaine Johnson didn’t help this matter. Quinnen Williams and Quincy Williams have each been playing well, and Jamien Sherwood has been helping the defense shine, but McDonald really is the most important player out there.

Things are really beginning to click for the pass defense, and McDonald is a big player in why that is. His ability to get to the quarterback is a game changing ability for any team, and thankfully McDonald is picking up where Huff left off. Whether you like the draft pick of McDonald or not, his current level of play is more than worth the number the Jets picked him at. McDonald isn’t only playing solid, he’s playing like a top-five player at his position in the entire NFL.

With Reddick continuing his holdout, and Johnson injured, McDonald has quickly become one of the Jets most important player on the defensive side of the ball. The entire defense will need McDonald to continue to live up to the hype and be the Jets best pass rusher, and so far it’s looking like he’s going to step into that role. Will McDonald is here to stay, and if the past five weeks are any indication, McDonald could be one of the most pivotal pieces of the Jets defense.

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[Jack Straw]

I’m not yet convinced that Will McDonald is anything more than a situational pass rusher right now.

He feels closer to Aaron Maybin than John Abraham but that’s only because I don’t credit players for accumulating sacks when unblocked.


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[Frankie Green]

18 minutes ago, Jack Straw said:

I’m not yet convinced that Will McDonald is anything more than a situational pass rusher right now.

He feels closer to Aaron Maybin than John Abraham but that’s only because I don’t credit players for accumulating sacks when unblocked.


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There is still hope for him to suck! 

[Bleedin Green]

7 minutes ago, Jack Straw said:

I’m not yet convinced that Will McDonald is anything more than a situational pass rusher right now.

He feels closer to Aaron Maybin than John Abraham but that’s only because I don’t credit players for accumulating sacks when unblocked.


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Yeah, we'll see what more he can do as an every down player as time goes on, but so far the Jets have mostly gotten a rich man's version of undrafted rookie Huff with #15 overall McDonald, with a majority of the numbers coming from their two worst opponents.

Not as bad as his greatest critics may have thought, but still plenty left to prove before considered any sort of havoc.

[BigRy56]

Not even the McDonald supporters would’ve had him at 7 sacks 3 weeks before Halloween. Great season so far

[OilfieldJet]

I was wrong. So far. Pass rushing ability is sound, how has he been against the rush?

[Bronx]

[dbatesman]

JSN holding steady at 1 TD this season

[BreeceHallofFame]

 

1 hour ago, Jack Straw said:

I’m not yet convinced that Will McDonald is anything more than a situational pass rusher right now.

He feels closer to Aaron Maybin than John Abraham but that’s only because I don’t credit players for accumulating sacks when unblocked.


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Every sack leader in the nfl has a few easier sacks. Look at his pressure rate to see if he is legit or not 

[Plen T]

He’s still pretty small

he should be juicing 

[Creepy Lurker]

 

6 hours ago, Plen T said:

He’s still pretty small

he should be juicing 

[Biggs]

Through the first 6 games JD has been vindicated.  The Jets have a top 5 roster.

[Bobby816]

He’s been great.

 

Hutchinson only leads him by .5 sack and he’s done for the year. So right now he’s on track to lead the nfl in sacks.

 

He also has gone against some decent OLines. Pitt doesn’t exactly have a great OL. I’d love to see him have his way with Jones this week. Who NE traded the pick before us to sport to draft Jones so we couldn’t draft him. I’d have to think Mac knows this.

[Dunnie]

There were never doubters. ... He hadn't shown anything until this year. I didn't notice him much last week.

But, I am very pleased that he is having some impact. Keep going. Put on some dam weight .. can't disappear of plays you don't win.

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[redlichtie]

9 hours ago, Jack Straw said:

I’m not yet convinced that Will McDonald is anything more than a situational pass rusher right now.

He feels closer to Aaron Maybin than John Abraham but that’s only because I don’t credit players for accumulating sacks when unblocked.


Sent from my iPhone using JetNation.com mobile app

He has more sacks through 6 games than Maybin managed in a career, he’s also playing on a DL that was supposed to include Jermaine Johnson and Haason Reddick, he’s stepped up and is doing the best he can while being the focus of attention for opposing offenses….he’s been a bright spot so far and without him we’d be in even deeper doo-doo

[Dunnie]

He has more sacks through 6 games than Maybin managed in a career, he’s also playing on a DL that was supposed to include Jermaine Johnson and Haason Reddick, he’s stepped up and is doing the best he can while being the focus of attention for opposing offenses….he’s been a bright spot so far and without him we’d be in even deeper doo-doo

Aaron Maybin could speed rush the passer and was very good at that. .. he sucked at everything else. He is a good player in a singular role right now .. not a monster by any means.

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[T0mShane]

I was told that the Aaron Rodgers offense was going to put up a bunch of points and that would let the pass rushers work with a lead. 

[Barton]

He’s been decent. Nowhere near the consistency that Bryce Huff showed last year. I also didn’t see McDonald do anything vs the bills. He was stonewalled consistently by the RT and Allen had all day to throw the ball. 

[redlichtie]

14 minutes ago, Dunnie said:

Aaron Maybin could speed rush the passer and was very good at that. .. he sucked at everything else. He is a good player in a singular role right now .. not a monster by any means.

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Who said he was a ‘monster’ ?

[Dunnie]

Who said he was a ‘monster’ ?

His draft position.

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[dbatesman]

9 hours ago, Jack Straw said:

He feels closer to Aaron Maybin than John Abraham but that’s only because I don’t credit players for accumulating sacks when unblocked.

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Aaron Maybin had 6 sacks in his career. McDonald has 7 in six games this season.

[redlichtie]

1 minute ago, Dunnie said:

His draft position.

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That’s a bit simplistic with all due respect, if you are expecting every player drafted at 15 to be a ‘monster’ (whatever that actually means)I fear you are in for a lifetime of disappointment, that’s a bar set a wee bit on the high side IMO…what constitutes’monster’ anyway? What are the objective judgements and performance indicators that qualify you for the official  ‘monster’ status?  Does being 0.5  behind Aidan Hutchinson for the NFL lead in sacks not count as a tick in the box? Hutch went No 2 overall so he’s in decent company.

the Aaron Donald’s of this world come along so very rarely, they are not the norm, you want a starter who contributes week in and week out and makes the plays and causes the disruption that the position merits, and ultimately who warrants retaining long term, I’d personally argue an edge rusher drafted top 15 needs to be getting you 10 sacks or more per season, as well as consistent pressure and forcing QB’s into rushed throws or having to bail out, while also not a liability elsewhere, so far he’s well on pace and despite the lazy assumption that because of his build he’s a liability in run support, I’m not sure that’s actually true. We don’t know exactly what his responsibility is on every play so it’s up in the air if getting gashed by Ray Davis was on him or a wider failure of the rest of the DL and defense as a whole….bearing in mind how many huge holes were up the middle it’s likely the problem was elsewhere….and again, he’s playing on a depleted DL who’s other ‘rushing’ end is Michael Clemons who’s actually more of a DT and not enough of an edge threat to warrant double teaming, It’s really Will McDonald and little else at the moment.

He’s also barely into his second year as a pro having been drafted as a player who would need some developing, I’d argue he’s doing well, Those first round picks are not supposed to be about instant gratification, although great if they are but you want a position locked down for the next 10 years so you don’t have to keep coming back and burning high round picks again and again….like our offensive line.

If every top 8 to 15 draft pick was a Will McDonald level contributor as opposed to a Mekhi Becton level contributor we’d be in far better shape. Having said that, 7 sacks through 6 games in year two would put him a lot closer to that mythical ‘monster’ category than the Aaron Maybin category …..just my opinion 

 

[Dunnie]

That’s a bit simplistic with all due respect, if you are expecting every player drafted at 15 to be a ‘monster’ (whatever that actually means)I fear you are in for a lifetime of disappointment, that’s a bar set a wee bit on the high side IMO…what constitutes’monster’ anyway? What are the objective judgements and performance indicators that qualify you for the official  ‘monster’ status?  Does being 0.5  behind Aidan Hutchinson for the NFL lead in sacks not count as a tick in the box? Hutch went No 2 overall so he’s in decent company.
the Aaron Donald’s of this world come along so very rarely, they are not the norm, you want a starter who contributes week in and week out and makes the plays and causes the disruption that the position merits, and ultimately who warrants retaining long term, I’d personally argue an edge rusher drafted top 15 needs to be getting you 10 sacks or more per season, as well as consistent pressure and forcing QB’s into rushed throws or having to bail out, while also not a liability elsewhere, so far he’s well on pace and despite the lazy assumption that because of his build he’s a liability in run support, I’m not sure that’s actually true. We don’t know exactly what his responsibility is on every play so it’s up in the air if getting gashed by Ray Davis was on him or a wider failure of the rest of the DL and defense as a whole….bearing in mind how many huge holes were up the middle it’s likely the problem was elsewhere….and again, he’s playing on a depleted DL who’s other ‘rushing’ end is Michael Clemons who’s actually more of a DT and not enough of an edge threat to warrant double teaming, It’s really Will McDonald and little else at the moment.
He’s also barely into his second year as a pro having been drafted as a player who would need some developing, I’d argue he’s doing well, Those first round picks are not supposed to be about instant gratification, although great if they are but you want a position locked down for the next 10 years so you don’t have to keep coming back and burning high round picks again and again….like our offensive line.
If every top 8 to 15 draft pick was a Will McDonald level contributor as opposed to a Mekhi Becton level contributor we’d be in far better shape. Having said that, 7 sacks through 6 games in year two would put him a lot closer to that mythical ‘monster’ category than the Aaron Maybin category …..just my opinion 
 

Hey ... I agree.. my curt response was a simplistic quip ... We have been told over and over again that ZW should have been Joe Montana because he was drafted 2 overall.

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[Asymmetrical]

he's not an every down terror yet but he's got the requisite juice.