Will McDonald

Discussion in 'New York Jets' started by WoodyHarrelson, Nov 13, 2023.

  1. GasedAndConfused

    GasedAndConfused Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Messages:
    14,203
    Likes Received:
    10,165
    yup

    https://jetswire.usatoday.com/2022/...-jermaine-johnson-joe-flacco-among-inactives/

    we have luxury at the position last year and this year. gameplans dictate active players. jets went with a heavy roster to prepare for jacobs over AOC. the result of it was WMD was inactive and sherwood started over MC2 since we went 4-3 instead of Nickel personnel.

    and people here complained he was a bust. and yet here we are in year 2 and he's playing great.
     
    KingRoach likes this.
  2. JetFanInPA

    JetFanInPA Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 25, 2003
    Messages:
    11,390
    Likes Received:
    4,062
    I'll give some slack on WMD over a WR as WR looked pretty decent at that time (GW, CD, Lazard, Hardman, Cobb). Now it's hindsight with a surprise retirement, Lazard being worse than advertised, and playing with ZW over Rodgers at QB. I still would have preferred one of the three WRs that went shortly after (or OT Anton Harrison), but for what this defense wants to do and how the D-Line could look in the next year or two, the pick made more sense than how I initially reacted when they made it...

    It is too bad to have a 1st round pick not contribute (not too late for a good 2nd half), but at least they're deep at the position and don't need him to right now necessarily. Obviously way too early to call him a bust though.

    But where we are now, it is painful seeing JSN, Jordan Addison and Zay Flowers (my personal favorite) all contributing to their teams while we're trotting out journeymen and UDFAs at WR once again
     
  3. BrowningNagle

    BrowningNagle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2003
    Messages:
    27,122
    Likes Received:
    28,255
    Flowers looks real good. I like his urgency out there, he puts it all on the field every time he gets the ball in his hands

    The Ravens offense is really lighting teams up. I remember all offseason when people were saying Lamar Jackson is overrated, costly and that Rodgers was a better move. Jackson is having an MVP level season
     
  4. JetsNation06

    JetsNation06 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 17, 2006
    Messages:
    7,213
    Likes Received:
    3,278
    There's no denying Jackson's play this year. I hold him to a higher standard though since he's already got a league MVP under his belt. I want to see him thrive in the playoffs for once instead of another early, disappointing exit.
     
  5. BrowningNagle

    BrowningNagle Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 12, 2003
    Messages:
    27,122
    Likes Received:
    28,255
    oh for sure. He needs to get it done in the playoffs
     
    JetsNation06 likes this.
  6. GasedAndConfused

    GasedAndConfused Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Messages:
    14,203
    Likes Received:
    10,165
    see this is a reasonable take. in hindsight we could use the WR more right now. in the future WMD could be the better pick overall. at the time WR and EDGE were both "luxury" picks.
     
  7. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2004
    Messages:
    33,268
    Likes Received:
    32,122
    I get it, but there’s also a group of folks that thought we were weak at receiver given Lazard and Corey Davis’s career outputs and lack of game speed. I never understood not tossing Hardman on the field a bit, but the reality is he was a relative nobody who got a tiny contract to maybe run some reverses and fly routes here.

    Corey Davis was atrocious his rookie year with a bunch of drops on balls that really would’ve helped Wilson out. Loved the signing at the time too, because I thought we needed a big physical possession receiver. And Lazard was pretty much a nobody who produced a bit when Rodgers refused to trust and throw to the two rookies and force-fed the only guy he trusted for a while after Davante left.
     
  8. WoodyHarrelson

    WoodyHarrelson Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2013
    Messages:
    1,726
    Likes Received:
    1,372
    Nah, OL was always horrendous. Should have grabbed one.
     
  9. Jets OG fan

    Jets OG fan Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jun 4, 2022
    Messages:
    741
    Likes Received:
    734
    No oline were available there unless you do a big reach.
     
  10. LogeSection2RowJ

    LogeSection2RowJ Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Jan 3, 2009
    Messages:
    3,518
    Likes Received:
    2,481
    As its gone this year it looks like taking OL in rounds one and two would have been ideal, (and unusual) BUT I give JD a break here for getting Tippmann in round two. As the draft approached i wanted "a Tippmann type" out of our top two picks, and got it. Not gonna kill him for that. What I am going to criticize is taking WM in a year where Aaron Rodgers made us an absolute "win now" team. That first round pick (now that we know we have Tippmann) should have been a WR.
     
  11. abyzmul

    abyzmul R.J. MacReady, 21018 Funniest Member Award Winner

    Joined:
    Jan 6, 2003
    Messages:
    52,387
    Likes Received:
    24,184
    I don't hate McDonald, but the pick was stupid. It was just stupid. You don't draft an edge that high who was playing out of position in college when you just signed Rodgers and you have the exact same suspect Oline you had giving up dozens of sacks the previous season. For a player that was almost certainly a 3rd or 4th option (probably worse) at that pick.

    What would have been worse at this point, to make a perceived reach for another OL, take a hit on a trade down or have a trade in place for a player or multiple players with that pick?

    The McDonald pick adds up to poor planning. And a serious blind spot for Joe Douglas.
     
    ColoradoContrails, REVISion and ouchy like this.
  12. GasedAndConfused

    GasedAndConfused Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Messages:
    14,203
    Likes Received:
    10,165
    just remember people called the Q pick stupid because we already had big cat.
    It was a luxury pick for this season, but in the NFL this years luxury can be tomorrows necessity. Lawson and huff are both in their final year. so in 2024 currently we have only JFM, JJ, and Clemons. thats not going to cut it. he was drafted to basically replace huff/lawson in 2024. but huff is making it really hard for us to let him walk and money is tight.
     
  13. GasedAndConfused

    GasedAndConfused Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Messages:
    14,203
    Likes Received:
    10,165
    I mean hardman wasn't on the field because gipson took his job, but to your point we should have given gipson more reps over cobb. cobb has been washed for years. probably good in the WR room and makes aaron happy so i'm fine with him on the team, but he doesn't need to be on the field.
     
  14. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2004
    Messages:
    33,268
    Likes Received:
    32,122
    Quinnen wasn’t a reach though, and that was also a roster where you could throw a dart and find a hole. He’s one of like three players in the past decade to that point that was considered for the Heisman and had the quickest first step of any defensive tackle in a long time.

    It was just a shitty spot to be in because Bosa was the obvious prize in that draft. Defensive tackles usually take a couple years to start pressuring the QB as well.
     
    REVISion likes this.
  15. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2004
    Messages:
    33,268
    Likes Received:
    32,122
    The point is that teams need two, three good fast young receivers. Let’s say Davis doesn’t retire and Lazard is OK. We still have a mediocre receiving corps at best and no longevity at the position past Garrett Wilson.

    The Vikings had JJ and took Addison and had a great passing attack before Kirk got hurt. The Seahawks have Lockett and DK and took JSN and swung and missed on Dwayne Eldridge before.


    Receiver pipelines are needed in the modern day badly.
     
    REVISion likes this.
  16. GasedAndConfused

    GasedAndConfused Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Messages:
    14,203
    Likes Received:
    10,165
    I get that but it was still considered a luxury pick and many didn't want him. lots of people were hoping SF would take him at 2 so we could get bosa. lots of people wanted josh allen over Q as well because edge was more of a need
    in the long run though, it turned out to be a great pick
    I know we need more better WRs. they don't necessarily have to be fast ones though. we just need people who can get open consistently and not drop balls. for the last 2 seasons our best chain movers were berrios and CD. we cut berrios to save money plus he had a down year and CD retired and we got stock with lazard who's been awful, cobb who has been washed for years, and hardman who is just not got. hardman got surplanted by gipson who's looked ok for an UDFA rookie so far, but nobody else has stepped up and it's killing us. thats a big reason why the 3rd down rate has gone down this season.

    vikes took addison to replace theilan. they had JJ, theilan, and osborne. plus an above average QB.
    seahawks did have locket and DK and took JSN but they had an extra 1st as well. they took a CB 1st in weatherspoon 5th overall which was a luxury pick as they also had a really good CB room after adding woolen last year. weatherspoon has since been moved into the slot and playing excellent there.

    in todays NFL though yeah the WR has become the 2nd most important position on offense outside of QB which is why their salaries have boomed. it makes sense to take the premium positions, but edge is also a premium position. at the end of the day it all winds up being how the player performs in the long run. if WMD has a JJ like year 2 it's a great pick. if he winds up being a bust it's a bad pick.
     
  17. Jonathan_Vilma

    Jonathan_Vilma Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 7, 2004
    Messages:
    33,268
    Likes Received:
    32,122
    If McDonald and all 3 of the receivers (didn’t want anything to do with QJ) all end up being decent players it’s a bad pick IMO given the other options the Jets have on the roster now and for next year.

    We need to rebuild the offensive line next year and we only have a first and a third. I’d love to see us grab another receiver as it’s another loaded class but we might not be able to given the OLine position.

    With/Without McDonald we would’ve still had a good defensive line next year even if Huff walks and Lawson is cut.
     
    REVISion likes this.
  18. GasedAndConfused

    GasedAndConfused Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Sep 18, 2015
    Messages:
    14,203
    Likes Received:
    10,165
    it's a valid way to look at it. I do know from what we seen in the war room, JD wasn't being specific to any position. his 1st choice was gibbs who was taken by the lions 12th. and at the time we had hall still. we wound up taking izzy later on and signing cook. his 2nd choice was WMD, his 3rd was mayer (who LV took 35th overall), his 3rd choice I think was jones? maybe I can't remember. would have to watch the video again. It doesn't seem he rated any of the Wrs high.
    the 1st one off the board was 20th. lots of teams passed on WRs who needed them. the commies at 16, pats at 17. then 4 went in a row until the giants broke the trend (who also need a WR but the good ones were gone) and while all 4 have looked good as rookies, none look like world beaters either. compared to last year where london, olave, and GW all looked pretty damn good. burks was the only disappointment.

    EDIT: looked it up and yeah it was gibbs, WMD, mayer, jones in that order for the 15th pick. Gibbs got taken at 12. we never had our eyes on a WR at all.
     
  19. REVISion

    REVISion Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2011
    Messages:
    5,336
    Likes Received:
    9,238
    Q was the consensus BPA at his pick. McDonald was far from that. We're also a lot more stacked at DL than we were when Q was picked.

    Not to mention that this year was a win now year before Rodgers went down. It made 0 sense to draft a guy who wouldn't see the field this year. We should've taken a WR or OL, there's just no debating it. I honestly think the McDonald pick was probably the dumbest one of Douglas' career. Taking Becton over Wirfs was bad but at least he picked the right position. He didn't even pick a guy on the right side of the ball this time.
     
  20. REVISion

    REVISion Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Nov 20, 2011
    Messages:
    5,336
    Likes Received:
    9,238
    With this comment you're admitting that the situation on our DL when we picked Q was not at all similar to the one when we picked McDonald. We needed multiple spots on the DL when Q was picked. We needed legitimately nothing on the DL when McDonald was picked, which is evidenced by him never seeing the field. And Leonard Williams wasn't even good. It's not like we had some world beater who Q would've had to beat for playing time.
     

Share This Page