The Tennessee Titans selected Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft in order to add some competition at backup quarterback with Logan Woodside.
McDonald brings an intriguing skill set to the Titans with his size, big arm and exceptional athleticism that allows him to create plays with his legs.
The addition of McDonald to the backup quarterback competition will no doubt add a little extra excitement to the Titans’ preseason.
Take a look at what draft analysts had to say about McDonald before the Titans took him in the seven round.
A two-year starter at Hawaii, McDonald was the starter in former head coach Nick Rolovich’s run-and-shoot offense, recording 40-plus touchdowns each of the last two years. With Hawaii being his only Division-I scholarship offer (and that didn’t arrive until the final moment), he fully embraced the Hawaiian culture, including growing blonde dreadlocks and getting a tattoo of the Hawaiian islands on his left forearm. McDonald gets the ball out quickly and accurately on short timing throws, showing a keen understanding of the offense and his options vs. coverage. However, he is a very frenetic passer and his composure and mechanics tend to falter when the heat is cranked up. Overall, McDonald is a challenging evaluation due to Hawaii’s wide-open offense and although he needs to improve his fundamentals and take better care of the football, he is a rhythm thrower with quick feet and a loose arm, projecting as a late-round developmental option.
Next up from the pass-happy Hawaii offense with good size and impressive touchdown production over the last two seasons as a starter. While he can read defenses and throw with touch, he doesn’t have the timing or ball placement to make up for his weak arm. He needs to work to a condensed field as a pro, but even then, jumpy cornerbacks could feast since he struggles to work with consistent anticipation to limit contested throws. He’s a decent athlete, but it’s not enough to offset his throwing deficiencies.
Kyle Crabbs, The Draft Network:
Cole McDonald projects as a developmental quarterback the the NFL level. McDonald has several desirable traits, including flashes of arm talent, athleticism and the size of a prototypical passer — but he is a point and shoot passer by design in Hawaii’s Run-N-Shoot offense. The mental side of the game is going to need to be reconstructed from the foundation and as such McDonald should be considered a low risk, high reward prospect late in the NFL Draft. Great tools but a long way out.
Hawaii has been known to produce some highly productive passers, such as Colt Brennan. McDonald is next on the list. His has a NFL-sized frame for the position. He is more of an athlete than he is a passer but could get some looks from NFL teams that should follow during the free agent scramble after the NFL Draft.
McDonald is an intriguing developmental option at quarterback because of his athleticism and ability to read a defense, but his lack of accuracy and arm strength leave him with limited tools to develop. His inability to drive the ball will plague him against tight coverage in the NFL, and there isn’t an ideal scheme fit that would cover up his weaknesses. McDonald grades out as a late-round option with a backup ceiling.
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