Will McDonald IV

Pos: EDGE

School: Iowa State

Ht. 6’3″ 

Wt. 241

Games Watched:

Strengths: 

  • Elite first step. Takes a long stride of the snap and is more often than not the first player past the LOS and is into his rush as the rest of the line is getting off the ground.
  • Elite Athletic Ability. Hall flies around the field and is speedy off the edge. His lateral quickness put him in a good position to stunt or to pave a lane against blockers at Auburn, though he may not see many stunt situations in the NFL.
  • Very Good Bend. McDonald is able to flatten his rush around the arc and utilizes good ankle flexion to fully get his body parallel to the ground. His first step allows him to get down to the ground and speed through blockers around the arc.
  • Good arm power. Strong and long arms allows him to jolt and out-leverage tackles at the point of attack and get them off balance with torque.
  • Very Good Hand Placement. Places his hands right on the shoulders and is able to use this placement to take advantage of tackles when they are off balance
  • Solid Strength. McDonald is a strong player, though undersized, and will not give up during double teams with a solid anchor when he lined up inside at 4i and 3t. 
  • Solid Rush Arsenal. McDonald has a notable spin move that worked wonders for him throughout his career and at the Senior Bowl. He could look to add more to his arsenal at the next stage.

Weaknesses:

  • Poor Size. McDonald’s size really hurt him at school. Iowa State made things worse for him by lining him up in a reduced front where he would play against guards and face double teams. While he is strong, this type of rusher would be best at the 250 range.
  • Marginal ability to defend the run. McDonald looked like a pure pass rusher in college, and I would like to see him work his run defense technique more in the NFL. He would often play wildly and needs to maintain solid positioning against the run in order to fully contribute and not get sealed off against double teams.

Overall Assessment: 

Pro Comp: Robert Quinn

Scheme Fit: Wide 9 EDGE rusher who should be a 3rd down specialist in an odd front

Pick Projection: Mid 1st – Early 2nd

Grade: 6.53