There are some big names at the quarterback position in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, but one player no one is talking about is Hawai’i’s Cole McDonald
The superstar names we keep hearing at quarterback in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft include LSU’s Joe Burrow, Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, Utah State’s Jordan Love, and Justin Herbert out of Oregon. All four of those players are expected to go in the first round, with at least three seemingly set for top-10 status. They’re also considered locks to be starters in the NFL.
Beyond those four, Jake Fromm from Georgia and Jacob Eason out of Washington are considered day two picks that could end up starting at the next level one day.
However, there’s one name that continues to be overlooked as a potential factor in the NFL.
Cole McDonald.
There are a few reasons McDonald isn’t getting the same attention, but the biggest could be where he played collegiately. He started under center the past two seasons for the Hawai’i Warriors, and McDonald didn’t get a lot of time on national television due to where he played. On top of that, Hawai’i doesn’t serve as a hotbed for NFL talent.
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Nevertheless, McDonald boasts NFL size (6-foot-4, 220 pounds), arm strength, and mobility. He’s also shown a lot of growth as a player, increasing his completion percentage five points in his final season while also throwing for roughly 250 yards more.
As for his athleticism, McDonald finished 2019 with 383 yards rushing and had seven touchdowns. That allowed him to finish with 880 yards on the ground and 12 total touchdowns.
Of course, McDonald isn’t without his warts. Playing in a run-and-shoot offense, he wasn’t asked to read defenses the way NFL quarterbacks are. He’s also been wild with his mechanics and his short-to-intermediate accuracy suffers due to this.
Where he really shines, despite the short accuracy, is his ability to hit the deep ball. McDonald constantly put the ball right where it needed to be for his speedy wideouts and could even thread the ball through some tight windows when taking shots deep down the field.
It’s likely that once he gets to the NFL Scouting Combine, he will start to get a little more recognition. He won’t be popping up in the conversation to be a first-round pick anytime soon, but McDonald has enough about his game to warrant a late day-two to early day-three pick.
Perhaps a team that already has a veteran starter, but needs to start thinking about the future, would be wise to bring him in and give him a shot. He has a lot about him that cannot be taught, but the areas where he struggles are fixable with patience and good coaching.
Right now, no one is talking about Cole McDonald. But maybe they should be. He could end up being a steal in this draft if some team can unlock his potential.