Jets’ once-controversial draft pick got the last laugh in Week 1

Heading into the 2023 draft, the New York Jets' greatest need, by far, was tackle. Probably the last thing the Jets needed was an edge rusher, with stalwarts Jermaine Johnson, John Franklin-Myers, Carl Lawson, and Bryce Huff already on the roster.

Picking at 15, by virtue of the first-round pick swap that was part of the Aaron Rodgers trade, the franchise seemed to be in position to land one of the last top-rated tackles in the draft class. The player they were likely targeting was Broderick Jones, a massive tackle out of the University of Georgia.

With all that being one of the worst-kept secrets in the NFL, arch nemesis Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots, who owned the 14th pick, landed on the clock, promptly trading the selection away to the also-tackle-needy Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers snapped up Jones, seemingly shocking the Jets in the process.

The Jets seemed to be in full-on panic mode, selecting a raw and wiry edge rusher from Iowa State who was more projection than finished product by virtue of playing out of position at 5-technique during his collegiate career.

Ridicule ensued. Not only did the Jets give up their leverage to get one of the premier tackle prospects by trading back two spots, but they had so badly telegraphed their hand that it cost them the apple of their eye. McDonald didn't play a position of need and wasn't even a consensus first-round talent.

Will McDonald got the last laugh against Broderick Jones in Week 1

After a quiet rookie season, which saw McDonald play just 19% of the defensive snaps and post three sacks, the once-maligned first-round pick burst onto the scene in 2024.

A confluence of factors, including the controversial John Franklin-Myers trade, Haason Reddick's holdout and subsequent disappearing act, and Jermaine Johnson's season-ending torn Achilles, opened an opportunity for McDonald.

McDonald responded by posting 10.5 sacks as he ascended to a starting role. Now in 2025, McDonald, along with the returning Johnson, leads a top-heavy edge group. A Week 1 matchup against the man many hoped the Jets would select gave McDonald another chance to prove the validity of his selection.

And prove it he did. Lining up on the right edge, McDonald faced off against the left tackle Jones and gave him fits all day. Finishing his day with two sacks and an 85.9 pass rush grade that ranked eighth out of 127 edge rushers to see action in the season's opening week.

Jones, meanwhile, was charged with three sacks allowed, the most by a tackle in the Week 1 action, and posted a 46.8 pass blocking grade. That mark ranked 58th out of 76 tackles.

Perhaps the most impressive part was how McDonald won. Speed and agility have been the primary MO for the undersized McDonald, whose ability to bend the edge has already been proven. However, on his first sack of the game, McDonald walked Jones back into Aaron Rodgers' lap before shedding him to bring the former Jets quarterback down.

The Jets have McDonald (rather generously) listed at 245 pounds, whereas Jones is a solid 311, making the sack quite the feat of technique and strength.

His second sack saw McDonald beat Jones to the inside on a stunt. McDonald's explosive first step and blazing speed were too much for Jones to handle as he was slow to get out of his stance. McDonald didn't need to use much in the way of pass rush moves to get home, and simply leveraged his athletic gifts.

Jones has now struggled for most of his young career, but this matchup served to further underscore that the Jets didn't miss out on much of anything. The glut of edge rushers that buried McDonald on the depth chart is all gone.

The tackle situation has one of the most rosy outlooks in the entire league thanks to second-year man Olu Fashanu and rookie Armand Membou, who was the top graded tackle in the entire league in Week 1.

It may have seemed like McDonald was the second coming of Aaron Maybin, while Jones would be a franchise left tackle for the next decade on 2023's draft night, but in the years since, nothing could be further from the truth.

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