Will McDonald IV, EDGE Iowa State: Offseason 2023 NFL Draft Profile

McDonald was a three-star recruit from Waukesha North High School in Waukesha, Wis. in the class of 2018

Iowa State defensive end Will McDonald IV is one of the Big 12 Conference’s most accomplished defensive players. He’s piled up accolades and sacks over the past two seasons. There are very few defenders that can match McDonald’s burst and speed, which could make him a hot commodity in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Will McDonald IV, EDGE Iowa State: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt senior defensive end from Milwaukee, Wis.

Background: McDonald was a three-star recruit from Waukesha North High School in Waukesha, Wis. in the class of 2018. He was the No. 787 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 793 for On3.com. McDonald was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 77 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, he totaled 61 tackles, 12 sacks, 20 tackles for loss, and two forced fumbles. As a junior, McDonald produced 69 tackles, 11.5 sacks, and 20.5 tackles for loss. He was a multi-sport athlete who also lettered in baseball, basketball, and track and field. McDonald was named the 2018 Classic 8 Player of the Year in basketball after averaging 18.3 points and 12.8 rebounds per game. The Wisconsin native was also a track & field discus state champion with a toss of 179'9" and was third in the high jump (6'4"). McDonald was born on June 4, 1999.

2021 Production: 13 games, 36 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 45 pressures, 11.5 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 2 passes defensed

2020 Production: 12 games, 35 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 35 pressures, 10.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 1 pass defensed

2019 Production: 13 games, 15 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 21 pressures, 6 sacks, 1 forced fumble

2018 Production: 4 games, 3 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pressure, 1 forced fumble (Redshirt Year)

Injuries & Off-Field: Played through a hip injury against Texas Tech (2021)

Awards: 2018 Academic All-Big 12 Rookie Team, 2019 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12, 2020 First-Team All-Big 12, 2020 Second-Team Academic All-Big 12, 2021 First-Team All-Big 12, 2021 First-Team All-American (FWAA), 2021 Third-Team All-American (Associated Press), 2021 Big 12 Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year

Pros: Never penalized in college, special teams experience on kick coverage, punt return, and field goal block units, converts speed to power, good vision diagnosing plays, spin move, massive wingspan, knows how to knock the ball out (seven forced fumbles in the past two seasons), frame has room to add weight, good initial get-off allows for opportunities to win around the edge, shows some ability to flatten the top of his rush, gives tackles a small target surface at the top of his rush which prevents the tackles from getting back into the play, excellent at dipping around the tackle’s outside shoulder, avoids taking the brunt of a tackle’s first punch, some pop in his hands when he decides to rush through the tackle

Cons: Age, undersized pass rusher, limited experience in coverage, consistently gets sealed on run plays, struggles against blocking tight ends in the running game, wish he would crash harder as the backside run defender, thin lower half that looks like it will always cause problems against the run, doesn’t appear to have elite bend and suffers from some stiffness in his hips and ankles, limited ability to redirect and accelerate at a high level, play strength overall needs to improve, his spin moves go nowhere, very few wins against double teams, limited wins to the tackle’s inside shoulder, sometimes gets pushed out of plays at the top of his rush

Overview: McDonald is unofficially listed at 6'3", 236 lbs. Iowa State lists him at 236 lbs. while ESPN lists him at 245 lbs. McDonald generated pressure on roughly 15.8% of his rush attempts in 2020 and 16.5% in 2021. The Wisconsin native only began playing football mid-way through high school. Beforehand, he only played basketball, looked after his siblings, and worked to help his family pay their bills. He lived with his coach when his family had to move during his senior high school season. McDonald relies heavily on his athleticism, which includes a quick get-off that often transitions into the former three-star recruit dipping under the offensive tackle before flattening his rush to the quarterback. While it’s incomplete, he uses a spin move to try and create space. McDonald has a radar for the football and often forces fumbles thanks to his long arms and closing burst. However, the redshirt senior is very slender. He gets blown off the line of scrimmage in the running game, struggles to disengage from blocks, and has a hard time winning with power. McDonald might suffer from some hip and ankle tightness as well.

Overall, McDonald has the speed and burst off the line to consistently threaten tackles’ outside shoulders, but he lacks a diverse pass rush plan. He’ll need to add weight to compete for a starting job in the NFL as he currently lacks the play strength to be an every-down contributor. McDonald should step into a limited pass rushing role as a rookie.

Role & Scheme Fit: Designated pass rusher in a 3-4 scheme

Round Projection: Late Third to Early Fourth

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 08-20-22