Mar 1, 2023; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Iowa State defensive lineman Will Mcdonald IV (DL38) speaks to the press at the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
I’m allergic to the offseason.
We avoid that entirely around these parts.
Unfortunately, I’m also allergic to pollen, and allergy season can’t be avoided right now in Central Iowa. Alas, we power through, because there is no such thing as an offseason here.
We start today with a simple question…
What would be the value of Will McDonald IV being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday in Kansas City for Iowa State football?
What kind of impact would it have on the program to snap its 49-year drought without a first round pick in the NFL Draft?
There might not be a more embarrassing statistic that pops up on a yearly basis than Iowa State’s streak without a first rounder since the Houston Oilers took George Amundsen with the 14th pick in the 1973 draft.
Every other Power 5 team in America has had at least one first round draft selection this century. Schools like UC-Davis, Alcorn State and Morehead State have had at least one since Iowa State’s last first round pick.
Wyoming, Nevada, SMU and Boise State have had at least two since Iowa State’s last first round pick.
Yeah, like I said, this stat is rough, but it feels more and more likely the streak will come to an end sooner rather than later.
It nearly ended last year when Breece Hall was taken No. 36 overall in the draft. It only makes sense that Iowa State’s best running back in a generation would enter the league at the only time in history where elite running backs carry hardly any draft value.
But, don’t worry, because we’re back with another opportunity in McDonald, the superstar edge rusher who finished his career as the Big 12’s all-time leader in sacks.
Even still, McDonald, the greatest pass rusher in Iowa State football history and one of the best statistical pass rushers the Midwest has ever seen, is considered by many to be a fringe first round pick despite the fact Edge rushers are some of the most coveted prospects on the board.
ESPN’s Mel Kiper has him ranked No. 20 overall on his big board and slots him in as the No. 3 Edge in the class. Those numbers mesh well with the rest of them that have McDonald going anywhere from the middle of the first to the start of the second.
Either way, Will McDonald won’t be waiting too long to hear his name called.
But, what’s the value of all this for Iowa State?
After all, this is Iowa State’s streak that is on the line, and I’m here to tell you that I’m not sure how much it really matters to the program in the long run.
This streak matters more for the people who are tired of seeing it come up social media and feel embarrassment because their program hasn’t been lucky enough to have one single player who was a surefire first round pick since Richard Nixon was in office.
What matters for Iowa State is just putting guys into the league, and that’s exactly what they’re doing. McDonald will be in the league. Anthony Johnson will be in the league. Xavier Hutchinson will be in the league. MJ Anderson will be in the league.
There will be others who stick as priority undrafted free agents, too.
Simply having a guy picked doesn’t matter for Iowa State football anymore. That’s old hat. We’ve been doing that for nearly five years now.
Having multiple guys picked? Yep, that’s old hat, too.
Iowa State has proven it is the kind of place you can go and be developed into a player who can make an impact at the next level.
First round selections or not, that means something to a program that literally went five straight years without any picks at all within the last decade.
“We’re not in the phase where we were five years ago where man having a draft pick is important,” said Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell last week. “Man, that’s common here now.”
Now, don’t get me or Matt Campbell wrong, everybody associated with Iowa State football will be over the moon if McDonald’s name is called and he’s able to walk across the stage to shake Roger Goodell’s hand Thursday night as a first round selection.
Fans will be over the moon once they know Iowa State won’t be associated with any tweets that start with, “How long it’s been since every Power 5 team’s last first round draft pick.”
But, the potential selection of Johnson or Hutchinson will mean just as much, because they believed in a vision and felt Iowa State could help them get there, and the school did just that.
You have to remember Iowa State is not getting the type of players who come to school with the expectation that they’ll be a first round draft pick. There have been guys in recent years who came to school to study engineering then ended up in the NFL.
Do you think you’re studying engineering if you’re banking on going to the league? Hell no!
This is what Iowa State football is, and probably always will be, and the streak is going to come to an end eventually. It could even be this Thursday night in Kansas City.
Nobody should fret over it, though, because Iowa State has held up its end of the bargain, and so have the guys who could have their names called this weekend.
“When I think about those guys, I think about who they are and really the growth as young men into men,” Campbell said. “I think you’re really grateful that they led here and you’re you’re grateful that with their leadership and them reaching their full potential as individuals, they’re going to reap the great benefits of having the opportunity to play at the highest level.”
That, my friends, is valuable.
More Musings
*** I can’t stop thinking about the physicality level of Iowa State’s offensive line during Saturday’s Spring Game. I wish the season could start this Saturday so that we can see how real that improvement truly is.
We’ll break it down on a new episode of Football (And Random Things) later on Monday.
*** Georges Niang and his Philadelphia 76ers are on their way to the second round of the NBA playoffs. The Sixers were lucky to secure a sweep and a few days of rest while soon-to-be MVP Joel Embiid recovers from a sprained knee.
*** Basketball never stops, especially if you’re Hollywood. NCAA referee John Higgins was spotted wearing the stripes and blowing the whistle this weekend at an AAU basketball tournament somewhere around the country.
I’m not even kidding, but if someone created a ‘Where in the World is John Higgins?’ book in the style of Where’s Waldo, I’d buy it, and it would probably be pretty freaking sweet with all the different basketball themed things you could come up with.
*** S/O to Hakeem Butler for being an absolute dawg. How could an NFL team pass on inviting the former Cyclone to training camp after what he’s done during the XFL season?
He’s been dominant nearly every single week.
*** The tweet of the weekend goes to our old friend, former Cyclone and now Baltimore Ravens tight end Charlie Kolar, who reacted to the Jack Trice Legacy uniforms with the following:
Never change, Charlie. Never change.
