9. Cole McDonald, QB, Hawaii
Height: 6’3″ Weight: 215
40-Yard Dash: 4.58 seconds
Bench Press: N/A
Vertical Jump: 36 inches
Broad Jump: 10 feet, 1 inch
3-Cone Drill: 7.13 seconds
20-Yard Shuttle: 4.52 seconds
60-Yard Shuttle: N/A
Bio: Cole McDonald had just one offer coming out of high school in Southern California: the University of Hawaii. So he left the contiguous 48 for the sunny shores of Oahu and served as starter the past two seasons in its Run-and-Shoot system. In 2018, McDonald completed 58.5% of his passes for 3,875 yards and 36 touchdowns with 10 interceptions, and his numbers took some steps forward this past season. Last year, he completed 63.8% of his throws for 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns — but he also had 14 interceptions. He was a darling of many this past summer scouting season, including in this writer’s eye, but his season opener against Arizona saw him benched after his fourth interception. He rebounded and finished the season strong with a comeback win over BYU in the Hawaii Bowl. He then turned in a solid combine performance, but is that enough to get on the radar of NFL teams?
He also had one of the all-time great combine answers, in response to a question from Trevor Sikkema from The Draft Network:
Cole McDonald addresses the change in hair styles. H/T @TampaBayTre for the question pic.twitter.com/rIPJfjyZao
— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) February 25, 2020
“Hair grows back; opportunity doesn’t.”
Stat to Know: According to Pro Football Focus’ charting, McDonald led collegiate passers with nine completions on throws over 40 yards last season.
Strengths: As evidenced perhaps by that above statistic, McDonald has tremendous arm talent. Throws to all levels of the field just pop out of his hands, and he does this despite unrefined footwork and sloppy mechanics at times. He also has a gift for the quarterback position: a short-term memory. You can watch that game against Arizona to open the season and see him make just a foolish decision on one drive and come back the next and play flawless football. There is no quicksand concern with McDonald.
While many might question his offense, I would argue that the Run-and-Shoot perhaps prepared him for the NFL more than some might think. At the combine, he walked me through his favorite design from college, which he termed the streak read — a four-verticals concept but with each route potentially converting based on the coverage. That tasks the quarterback with being able to diagnose a defense on the fly and adjust accordingly. That is perhaps the essence of quarterback play from a mental perspective.
Speaking of the mental part, McDonald is fearless. In that comeback win against BYU, he led a game-winning drive in the closing minutes. When faced with a third-and-1, he passed on a wide-open shallow crosser (that would have stopped the clock with about a minute remaining) to try a vertical hole shot along the left sideline between the cornerback and safety. Throwing the crosser to get the first down and stop the clock is the safe play, but McDonald does not play safely. I asked him about that play at the combine, and he said, “We’re a counter-based offense. If you’re going to give me that hole shot, I don’t care if it’s third-and-1 or fourth-and-long, I’m going to throw it.”
He is also tough. I will just let this speak for itself:
Cole McDonald played all last season with an MCL injury and…a…well let’s just call it a lingering bleeding issue… pic.twitter.com/S8mGAt7j5H
— Mark Schofield (@MarkSchofield) July 5, 2019
Yeah.
Weaknesses: There is a fine line between fearlessness and insanity in a quarterback, and McDonald does his best to blur that line. He was benched for throwing four interceptions in the 2019 season opener, and it was not the only time he was sent to the sideline during his Hawaii career. Taking risks with the football has gotten him burned time and again. Mechanically, he can be a bit of a mess, as his footwork is all over the place, and his throwing motion had a very pronounced dip and loop to it early in the season. He seemed to work on it over the course of the year, and by the Hawaii Bowl, the release seemed tighter.
Conclusion: If you are looking for a Day 3 lottery pick at the quarterback position, McDonald could be that player. He has the NFL arm and the fearlessness that often works at the position. Will every coach love him? Absolutely not. But a coach who likes pushing the envelope offensively is going to have a soft spot for him.
Comparison: Every so often, I find that a movie character is a more apt comparison for a quarterback than someone who has previously played the game. A few years ago, I went with Nuke LaLoosh for Josh Allen, with a side of Happy Gilmore. I think such an approach works for McDonald. That comparison? Captain Pete Mitchell — callsign: Maverick. McDonald does it his own way, and pushes the envelope every chance he gets. Sometimes it works; other times it fails spectacularly. It also might not be for everyone.
