The New York Jets drafted Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald with the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Some thought that was mostly because all the top offensive tackle prospects were off the board by the time the Jets got on the clock after the Steelers traded up to select Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones.
If you ask head coach Robert Saleh, none of that mattered. The Jets were set on McDonald, even if they had stayed at No. 13 before the Aaron Rodgers trade that included the pick swap.
“The difference between 13 and 15 in the way everything shook out made no difference to us,” Saleh told Rich Eisen on his show last week (via NBC Sports)
The Jets have raved about McDonald since the moment they drafted him. He was clearly high on their board. Perhaps even ahead of Jones, who would have been available the Jets stayed at No. 13. But this feels like a scene from the movie “Draft Day”, where it was Will McDonald, no matter what.
