Many college ends entering the NFL don’t have a lot of pass rush moves in their bag of tricks, often just winning with speed.
That’s not the case with Jets’ 2023 first-round pick Will McDonald.
“He’s got a wicked spin move,” said NFL Network draft expert Daniel Jeremiah. “We saw that at the Senior Bowl.”
In a pass rush drill at a Senior Bowl practice, McDonald shocked Darnell Wright with a well-executed spin move, leaving the Tennessee offensive tackle in the dust.
That is the same Wright who was picked 10th overall in the 2023 draft by the Chicago Bears.
“He plays [the spin move] off his speed,” Jeremiah said about the play McDonald beat Wright.
So in other words, McDonald makes the offensive tackle honor his top-shelf edge speed, forcing him to overset outside, and then he spins inside.
How did the 23-year-old Milwaukee native develop such an advanced pass-rush move at such a young age?
“I actually learned it from Maxx Crosby,” said McDonald. “Watching him my sophomore and junior year in college, I just replicated him.”
Crosby is a star defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders, who had 37.5 sacks in four NFL seasons.
The Jets certainly would sign up for that kind of production.
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