Odd Will McDonald scouting report for 2023 NFL Draft
- Thread starter FeedBreece
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Ah yes, I remember. As a Vikings fan, how could I forget that glorious 6 games he gave us a few years back. LOL. Great player comp though, for Will.
Very interesting player. He never sticks around anywhere but consistently will put 8-10 sacks a year wherever he goes. And people pay him good money to do it because he’s that explosive.
Can’t stop the run worth a lick though. Which people are concerned about that becoming Will at the next level. Not the worst scenario though. Pass rushing is a premium skill.
I'm actually surprised at how well McDonald does against the run. I'm not worried about a team trying to run at Will anymore.
Yeah I will say I’m impressed with Will in that regard this year. He has improved there. Hard to say if he’s done enough to excel at it at the pro level though.
If he does though, his ceiling is immensely high.
I think it goes without question that Will would absolutely smash if we played a 4-down front defense, as most NFL teams do. If our DL was attacking 5 with 4, Will would get a lot more chances at 1:1 matchups and just having another dude there next to him to twist with and confuse the OL would put him on the QB a lot more often.
I don't think lining up Will inside is a tactical mistake, as with our 3-down look, the coaches are just trying to get the OL to worry about how to block him where they don't expect him to line up. Frankly that quote is a little bit lazy in analysis. It's not like the coaches think Will is a pass-rush DT.
His role in our 3-down front is a lot more hybrid because with one less dude next to him, he has a lot more responsibility in the run game, or even in coverage depending upon the specific play call. In the NFL his size will dictate that he's a pure rush end, and frankly I am sure it frustrates a Draft scout to watch his tape and wait for the relatively low percentage of snaps he gets to pin his ears back and rush the QB.
There are more than a few highly successful rush ends at his size, however being under the prototypical ~250-265 lbs is going to cross him off the draft board for more than a few NFL teams who draft to a specific profile for their scheme.
He reminds me a lot of Dee Ford, who used to play for the Chiefs before they hired Spagnuolo as their DC.
