Raiders 2020 Draft Prospect: QB Cole McDonald

2020 Raiders Draft Prospect Profile

Name: Cole McDonald

Position: Quarterback

School: The University of Hawaii

Height: 6’4”

Weight: 225 pounds

Stats

Delivery

Let’s get this trait fleshed out. Once upon a time, McDonald owns the choppiest, herky-jerky, loopy throwing motion in college football. After watching his 2019 film, he altered his motion and started the long road of unlearning whatever he used in previous seasons. Now, his delivery remains far from perfect, but you can see the offseason work manifest itself in 2019. At the next level, he must continue to iron that hitch out completely.

Accuracy

In Hawaii’s Run and Shoot, you expect underneath and quick routes. However, McDonald would air it out and place the ball over the shoulder, between defenders, and across the field. His stats bear out a marked improvement in this area with the upside to complete even more.

Footwork

Occasionally, McDonald will arm the ball to the wideout. That is to say, he relies on the shoulder and upper body to find the target in space. Meanwhile, he possesses the ability to roll the pocket and clear himself a lane to find wideouts.

Arm Strength

Plus velocity. Despite the aforementioned motion, McDonald does not hesitate in going over the top. his passes maintain their zip without a tail or flutter. Every pattern on the route looks available and open him. More importantly, he will take full advantage

Mobility

Raiders Fit

What if the starter suffers an injury during a key moment. For the Raiders, that occurred around Christmas 2016. Derek Carr’s season and the hopes of a deep playoff run vanished. Enter Matt McGloin and Connor Cook. Two unprepared quarterbacks with neither the skill or discernible talent to lead a team into the playoffs. Now, enter McDonald. Strictly athletically, he’s miles beyond either of them. Gruden preaches fearlessness and the ability to challenge safety downfield. Mike Glennon is not the answer. DeShone Kizer should not be the solution. Meanwhile, the team will probably draft a wideout and seek to open up the playbook more. McDonald fits what the Silver and Black eventually want to do.

Why McDonald?

With a Day Three pick, McDonald gives the Las Vegas Raiders flexibility. First, he allows Jon Gruden a high-ceiling developmental quarterback to mold. Gruden needs to start realizing the guru label and stop coasting on campy segments built for a TV show. In McDonald, he has a player that checks most of the boxes of an NFL quarterback. With plus arm strength, decent touch and the wheels to make defenses pay on the perimeter. More importantly, McDonald can learn his craft and the ways of the Raiders’ offense, functioning as a backup. Unlike higher picks, the call to start him immediately could remain unanswered.