NFL Draft 2015: The New York Jets Were the Clear Winners of the 1st Round

The first round of the 2015 NFL draft left the New York Jets counting their lucky stars that Leonard Williams fell to them at the sixth pick in the draft Thursday night in Chicago.

The defensive end from the University of Southern California ranked as the best defensive prospect and arguably the best overall prospect on most experts' big boards. Bleacher Report’s NFL draft lead writer Matt Miller placed Williams just behind Jameis Winston in his rankings.

The 6’5” 302-pound freight train's drop past the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland Raiders and Washington Redskins all the way to the Jets shocked Miller.

The Jaguars' decision to pass on Williams is less surprising, opting to go with the talented outside pass-rusher in Florida's Dante Fowler Jr. to help their defense. However, both the Raiders and Redskins needed help along their defensive line and in the pass rush.

Williams would challenge to start Week 1 for the Raiders partnering on the edge with the 32-year-old Justin Tuck. Instead, the Raiders wanted to add a surefire weapon for Derek Carr in the Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper.

The most surprising team to pass was Washington as it needed help in its pass rush to complement Ryan Kerrigan following the departure of the Brian Orakpo this offseason.

The Redskins drafted Brandon Scherff instead of selecting the best player available who would also fill a glaring need on their defense. Instead, they went with an offensive tackle when some thought they should trade back to accumulate picks and address the offensive line later in the round.

Meanwhile, New York's general manager Mike Maccagnan got the steal of the draft adding another disruptive force to an already dominant defensive line. Newly appointed head coach Todd Bowles, formerly the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals, must be licking his chops with the toys he now has on defense.

The 20-year-old earned First Team All-American honors in 2013 and 2014 on the back of sophomore and junior seasons, which combined for 154 total tackles and 13 sacks.

Through three season in Southern California, Williams showed a combination of strength and speed, allowing him to shed blockers and cause problems in the backfield. This skill set was on full display against Utah this past season.

A injury to Williams’ shoulder may have forced him to slide down some team’s draft boards, but the Jets do not think the labrum issue will be a long-term problem, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

The problem with the defensive end's shoulder may delay his development at the start, but the Jets do not need him to perform immediately. New York’s 3-4 defensive line already possesses established stars in Sheldon Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson.

Overall, the Jets opted to select the best player available in Williams with the sixth overall pick, making their defensive line possibly the best in the NFL.

On top of that, New York landed a player whose mentality will fit in perfectly in the AFC East. Williams said he looks forward to tackling great quarterbacks and hopes Tom Brady is the victim of his first sack, according to Around the NFL writer Chris Wesseling.

That statement rings as music to the ears of Jets fans as their team got the steal of the draft Thursday night in Chicago.