The New York Jets had great expectations for their pass rush before the start of the season, but a number of bumps in the road kept them from ever seeing their vision fully realized.
A season-ending injury to Jermaine Johnson and the now-resolved contract dispute with Haason Reddick kept the Jets without their top two pass rushers for much of the season's first half.
New York's sophomore defensive lineman Will McDonald was always going to have a bigger role than he had a year ago, but the weight on his shoulders grew exponentially and his coaches have noticed how he answered the call.
Jets defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton started off his praise of the pass rusher at a recent press conference with a question of 'how much time you got?'
McDonald has been much better on the field this season, but his biggest attribute may be off the field.
"I would say number one is his maturity and his professionalism. Not that he was unprofessional or he was never an issue type of player last season. But just learning the game, stepping up his preparation off the field. And this is without any fanfare. Like Like not a social media guy. Look at me. Look what I'm doing," said Whitecotton. "He's been in the weight room consistently this whole past off season. He's changed his body. Then you go back to the field. He's learning the game. He's learning the scheme. He's at a much higher level, I was telling him."
While in college, the Wisconsin native was widely overlooked. He had the frame of a pass rusher, but not the weight. He was a three-star prospect that ended up going to the Iowa State Cyclones.
He over-performed, leading the nation in sacks one season and matching with the same amount the year after. He overcame never really putting on the weight and was ultra-productive.
Being under 240 pounds, there were some worries about how effective he would be as an NFL edge defender as opposed to a traditional linebacker.
McDonald didn't get much of a chance to prove his doubters wrong on the field for much of his rookie season.
It is clear that he has the right mindset and work ethic so he went back to work in the offseason.
Through the first nine games of the season, he leads all New York defenders with 34 pressures and eight sacks. He sits just outside of the top-10 in pressures for the entire league and is tied for second in sacks.
