Wilbert McDonald IV (born June 4, 1999) is an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

for the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

for the

Iowa State Cyclones The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 1 ...

and was selected by the Jets as the 15th pick in the first round of the

2023 NFL draft The 2023 NFL draft was the 88th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players for the 2023 NFL season, 2023 season. The NFL draft, draft was held outside of Kansas City Union Station, Union Station i ...

Early life

McDonald was born on June 4, 1999, in

Pewaukee, Wisconsin Pewaukee is a city in Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 15,914 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Milwaukee metropolitan area. The name of the city of Pewaukee comes from that of the name of the village, the ori ...

. He attended

Casimir Pulaski High School Casimir Pulaski High School is a public high school located on 2500 W Oklahoma Ave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Casimir Pulaski is part of the Milwaukee Public School system. The school had 1600 students during the 2004–2005 school year. Pulaski ...

as a freshman before transferring to

Waukesha North High School Waukesha North High School is one of three high schools located in Waukesha, Wisconsin. Operated by the Waukesha School District, the school opened in mid-year, at the start of the second semester, during the 1974–1975 school year. The school i ...

Waukesha, Wisconsin Waukesha ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Waukesha County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 71,158 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Fox River (Illinois River tributary), Fox River adjacent to th ...

, where he lettered in basketball, and track and field in addition to football.

College career

McDonald had three tackles with one sack and a forced fumble in four games as a true freshman before deciding to

redshirt Redshirt, Red Shirt, or Redshirts may refer to: Sports * Redshirt (college sports) Redshirt, in United States college athletics, is a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen their period of eligibility. Typically ...

the rest of the season. McDonald was named first team All-Big 12 Conference as a redshirt sophomore after setting a school record and tying for the national lead with 10.5 sacks. McDonald broke his previous single-season sack record and the Iowa State career sacks record during his redshirt junior season.

Professional career

McDonald was selected by the

in the first round as the 15th overall pick in the

. The Jets, who had the 13th overall pick, traded down two spots with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

as part of the

Aaron Rodgers Aaron Charles Rodgers (born December 2, 1983) is an American professional American football, football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the California Golden Bears foo ...

trade. As a rookie, he had three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

2024 Season

In his second season, McDonald emerged as a standout defensive end for the New York Jets. McDonald had 28 total tackles including 10.5 sacks (t-12th in NFL), 3 pass deflections, and 2 forced fumbles, adding 24 quarterback hits (t-7th in NFL). I
week two against the Tennessee Titans
he had 3 sacks and a forced fumble in the Jets 24-17 win. Despite the Jets' overall struggles, finishing with a 5–12 record and missing the playoffs, McDonald's individual success provided a bright spot and solidified his role as a cornerstone of the team's defense moving forward.

References

External links

New York Jets bio

Iowa State Cyclones bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDonald IV, Will 1999 births Living people American football defensive ends Players of American football from Milwaukee Iowa State Cyclones football players All-American college football players New York Jets players