Wilbert McDonald IV (born June 4, 1999) is an American professional football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the Jets as the 15th pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Early life McDonald was born on June 4, 1999, in Pewaukee, Wisconsin. He attended Casimir Pulaski High School as a freshman before transferring to Waukesha North High School in Waukesha, Wisconsin, 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 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 New York Jets in the first round as the 15th overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft. The Jets, who had the 13th overall pick, traded down two spots with the Green Bay Packers as part of the Aaron Rodgers 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). In week two against the Tennessee Titans, he had 3 sacks and a forced fumble in the Jets 24-17 win.
2025 season In 2025, McDonald led the Jets with eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss through 15 games. On December 26, 2025, McDonald was placed on season-ending injured reserve due to a knee injury suffered in Week 16 against the New Orleans Saints.
2026 season On April 29, 2026, the Jets picked up the fifth-year option on McDonald's contract.
NFL career statistics Legend Bold Career high
Regular season Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fum FR Yds TD 2023 NYJ 15 0 14 9 5 3.0 4 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 2024 NYJ 17 15 28 18 10 10.5 11 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 2 0 1 0 0 2025 NYJ 15 14 30 19 11 8.0 10 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Career 47 29 72 46 26 21.5 25 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 3 0 2 0 0
References
External links
New York Jets bio Iowa State Cyclones bio