NFL Draft: Jets select Iowa State edge rusher Will McDonald IV with No. 15 pick

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. — The  Jets didn’t give Aaron Rodgers a new tackle or weapon on offense in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft. They gave Robert Saleh an edge rusher for his defense.

The Jets drafted Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald IV with 15th pick. The 6-4 McDonald was a strong and explosive pass rusher in college and will bolster the Jets’ front four.

The expectation was the Jets would try to strengthen the offensive line or give Rodgers a receiver. The top four offensive tackles were gone by the time the Jets picked, though. They chose to take McDonald, a redshirt senior who had 34 sacks in college, with 27 coming in the last three seasons.

“I feel like he’s one of the most dynamic if not the most dynamic pass rushers in this draft,” general manager Joe Douglas said.

The Jets planned to add depth and insurance on the offensive line to make sure Rodgers was protected. Tackles Duane Brown, Mekhi Becton and Max Mitchell were all on injured reserve last year. The Jets still could do that on Friday with their second-round pick, No. 43 overall.

Ironically, the Rodgers’ trade cost the Jets a shot at taking one of the tackles on their board. But it’s a trade they would make 100 times out of 100. They got one of the best quarterbacks ever in what they believe can be a historic trade for the franchise.

The Jets ended up swapping first-round picks with the Packers, giving Green Bay the No. 13 choice for No. 15 in the Rodgers’ deal.

Had they held on to the No. 13 pick, the Jets could have selected Georgia left tackle Broderick Jones. He went 14th to the Steelers, who traded up from 17 with the Patriots to grab Jones.

Bill Belichick strikes again.

“We were going through a number of different scenarios throughout the top 15 picks,” Douglas said. “Ultimately, we followed the board, let the board come to us.”

Ohio State’s Paris Johnson Jr. was the first tackle taken Thursday night. He went sixth overall to the Cardinals after Arizona acquired the pick in a trade with the Lions during the draft. The Jets were high on Johnson but it was a long shot that he would fall to them.

Tennessee tackle Darnell Wright was next. The Bears chose Wright with the No. 10 selection. Northwestern’s Peter Skoronski was taken with the 11th overall pick by the Titans.

The Packers took Iowa defensive end Lukas Van Ness with the pick they swapped with the Jets.

After the Steelers picked Jones, Douglas was left with a few choices: take a defensive end, a receiver such as Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba or trade out.

“There were some [trade] conversations,” Douglas said. “Ultimately we felt really good where we were and the player that was staring right at our face.”

Douglas believes in building in the trenches and McDonald will join an impressive defensive line that features All-Pro tackle Quinnen Williams, Carl Lawson, John Franklin-Myers, Quinton Jefferson, Bryce Huff and second-year players Jermaine Johnson and Micheal Clemons.

“We’re very excited to add Will to the team, to an already deep and explosive pass rushing unit,” Douglas said.

McDonald is somewhat of a late bloomer. He didn’t start playing football until he was a junior in high school, but he picked it up pretty quickly. He is a little undersized at 239 pounds, but Saleh expects him to gain weight and get stronger. McDonald's athleticism, bend and quick get-off impressed the Jets.

“This kid has an elite ability to get after the quarterback, and that’s what excites us about him,” Saleh said.

The Jets drafted an Iowa State product last season and he turned out to be pretty good: running back Breece Hall. They also signed Allen Lazard, another former Cyclone. McDonald said he spoke to Hall on Thursday and looks forward to playing with him again and in whatever role the Jets need him.

“I’m going to bring everything that I can,” McDonald said. “Whether if it’s playing special teams being a role player, just do whatever I got to do.”

Rodgers works out

Rodgers was on the field Thursday at the Jets' facility, throwing passes to his new teammates . . . which included a familiar face in Lazard from Green Bay. 

By Al Iannazzone

al.iannazzone@newsday.comAl_Iannazzone

Al Iannazzone covers the Jets for Newsday after spending nearly two decades on the NBA beat with Knicks and Nets.