FLORHAM PARK, N.J. -- The New York Jets walked away Thursday night with the best defensive player in the NFL draft, and all they had to do was ... well, nothing. The draft gods, who have tortured the Jets for decades, finally decided to smile on the star-crossed franchise. Say hello to USC's Leonard Williams, a 20-year-old defensive lineman with a ceiling higher than Grand Central Terminal.

Despite a surplus of linemen, the Jets couldn't pass on Williams. When you're a championship-starved team -- heck, a playoff-starved team -- you don't thumb your nose at an elite prospect just because he happens to play at a stacked position. You don't look a gift Trojan in the mouth. You grab him and worry about the questions later. And there will be questions, especially about the future of Muhammad Wilkerson, who is unofficially on the trading block.

General manager Mike Maccagnan, who proved in his first draft effort that he really does believe in taking the best player available, claimed "we're not actively going to shop Muhammad at this point." That's semantics, of course. The Jets are willing to listen to offers; they've already fielded calls, before and during the first round. But they shouldn't trade Wilkerson. Only 25, he's one of the top young defensive ends in the league and he's under contract for another year at a manageable $6.9 million.

You keep Wilkerson for 2015, allowing the "Sons of Anarchy" to remain intact -- Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson and Damon Harrison. With Williams joining the group, the Jets have their best defensive line since the New York Sack Exchange, circa 1981. On paper, they could have the best line in the league. No, they don't have a franchise quarterback, but at least they can take pleasure in terrorizing opponents' quarterbacks. With that defensive front, coupled with Darrelle Revis & Co. in the secondary, the Jets' defense might be banned in some states.

Somewhere in western New York, Rex Ryan is turning green with envy as he devours a plate of Buffalo wings.

The only loser here is Wilkerson, whose leverage was gashed by the Williams pick. He absolutely deserves a long-term contract extension -- he's truly a cornerstone player -- but there will be no sense of urgency for the Jets to do a deal. Maccagnan said he still hopes to sign Wilkerson, but you can bet he won't be rushing to the bargaining table. At this point, he might just let Wilkerson play out his deal and use the franchise tag next March. At that point, they can evaluate their options.

Know this: They can't pay them all. Richardson, signed through 2016, is on his way to a blockbuster deal. Harrison doesn't have as much value because he's a two-down run stuffer, but he'll be a coveted unrestricted free agent next year. With those big deals coming up, and with Revis bringing down $39 million over the next three years, it will be impossible to keep the defense together. There's something called the salary cap.

Maccagnan might hear some criticism for drafting to a strength, but the only other player worthy of the sixth pick was wide receiver Kevin White -- a good prospect, but not as highly regarded as Williams. They could have traded down, picking up an extra draft pick, but they would have taken themselves out of the blue chips. Maccagnan said they didn't receive any "worthy" trade offers.

There was no quarterback on the board. If Marcus Mariota had slipped, he would have been a great choice for the quarterback-needy Jets. Truth be told, they would have passed; Mariota wasn't among the top six on their draft board. As it turned out, the choice was simple: It was Williams, who recorded 21 sacks in 35 games at USC, most of them as an interior lineman.

"We were kind of surprised he actually fell to us," Maccagnan said. "He was too good a value to pass up at that point in time."

The decision will have significant ramifications, if not this year, in 2016. For now, sit back and enjoy the madness created by Williams & Sons.