Why this New York Jets' defender has most to prove in Week 2 against Titans

The New York Jets traded away starter John Franklin-Myers and offseason acquisition Haason Reddick is locked in a contract standoff that shows no sign of ending.

Not only is there a perfect opportunity for an emerging edge rusher to step up, the Jets need it to happen. The prime candidate is none other than 2023 first-round draft pick Will McDonald, but the early returns aren't promising.

After playing only 19 percent of snaps as a rookie, and being asked to bulk up during the offseason, McDonald look overwhelmed on multiple occasions during the 32-19 season-opening loss to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football.

The 25-year-old totaled 35 defensive snaps and one assisted tackle. On 17 pass rush reps, McDonald was credited with two pressures according to Next Gen Stats.

"I thought San Francisco did a really good job with their gameplan with regards to chips on the ends, and getting rid of the ball in a timely fashion. I don't think [quarterback] Brock [Purdy] really held it long enough," said Jets' head coach Robert Saleh.

The 236-pound McDonald, who was the No. 15 overall selection in 2023, is seemingly too light to win fast enough against behemoth pass protectors such as 49ers' All-Pro Trent Williams. There's only so far his elite get-off move will take him while dealing with such a size discrepancy.

Then, there's the issue of San Francisco pushing McDonald around on run plays en-route to 180 rush yards.

Maybe it was just a bad day for McDonald, and the second-year edge rusher will show what he's capable of when the Jets visit the Tennessee Titans on September 15. There's also the possibility that he was overdrafted and lacks the necessary strength to beat NFL offensive linemen in the trenches.

With a paltry pass rush performance in Week 1, the Jets need improvement across the board and it starts with McDonald looking less like Vernon Gholston.

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