2023 WorldWide Rams Draft Profile: Will McDonald IV | Iowa St | EDGE

WORLDWIDE RAMS

Ed "Pi Double I" Henderson

Player Bio: Will McDonald IV attended Waukesha North High School located in Waukesha, WI. As a senior, he tallied 61 tackles (20 for loss), 12 sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. The highlight of his senior year, against Oconomowoc, he had 12 tackles (7 tackles for loss), four sacks, and caught seven passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. As a junior, McDonald posted 69 tackles (20 for loss) and 11½" sacks. He garnered the 2017 WFCA first-team all-state selection and a two-time all-region selection. McDonald also lettered in basketball, track and field, and baseball. He was named the 2018 Classic 8 Player of the Year in basketball after averaging 18 points and 12 rebounds per game. He was the Division I state track & field discus champion with a toss of 179-9 and was third in the high jump 6-feet4-inches.

​​​CLASS         |   SENIOR (RS)

​HOMETOWN |  MILWAUKEE, WI

​
​ HEIGHT                  WEIGHT           
 6' 4"                           239 lbs

HANDS                            ARMS
 9½"                      34⅞"

will mcdonald 

edge

​​​​​DRAFT YEAR
​      2023      
COMBINE INVITE​
​YES

​PROJECTED 40 TIME 
4.70
DRAFT GRADE
6.41

SCHOOL:  IOWA ST                                       |                    CONFERENCE: BIG XII

accolades

2023 NFL Combine Participant
2022 Reese's Senior Bowl Participant 
2022 Phil Steele First-Team Second-Team
2022 AP All-Big XII Second-Team
2022 Coaches All-Big XII First-Team
2021 FWAA All-American First-Team
2021 Phil Steele All-American First-Team
2021 Coaches All-Big XII First-Team
2021 CBS Sports All-American Second-Team
2021 AP All-American Third-Team
2021 Big XII Co-Defensive Lineman of the Year
2021 Ted Hendricks Award Semifinalist
2020 Coaches All-Big XII First-Team
2020 Ted Hendricks Award Semifinalist
2020 All-Big XII Academic Second-Team
2019 All-Big XII Academic Second-Team
2018 Defensive Scout Team Player of the Year 
2018 Academic All-Big XII Rookie Team

COMBINE RESULTS 
40 YD DASH
DNP 
10 SPLIT
DNP
​BENCH PRESS
    DNP    
VERTICAL JUMP 
        36"        
BROAD JUMP
 132"
3 CONE DRILL
       DNP         
20 YD SHUTTLE
​DNP

​PRO DAY RESULTS  
40 YD DASH
4.70 
10 SPLIT
1.63
​BENCH PRESS
    DNP    
VERTICAL JUMP 
        35½"        
BROAD JUMP
 DNP
3 CONE DRILL
       6.85         
20 YD SHUTTLE
​4.22

game film
#9 Will McDonald Iv vs
​k-state (2022)

GAME FILM
#9 will mcdonald iv 
iowa st cyclones

strengths

weakness

• He is athletic with outstanding speed, the prototypical length, flexibility, versatility, and a perfect frame for the next level.
• He uses his athleticism to pursue the run and chases down the plays from the backside.
• He has a good nose for the ball with a wide tackling radius to get to the ball.
• His versatility allows him to line up in a 3-tech with his in the ground or the 5-tech where he is most dangerous from the edge.
• He uses his long 34-inch arms and strong punch with his hand to shed blockers.
• He has an explosive first step, with an excellent bend that allows him to use his flexibility to explode around the arc to get him. 
• He has a slick pass-rush arsenal featuring his patented move, "the spin," to beat the blocker.
• He had an excellent defensive instinct for creating turnovers; he constantly rips at the ball with ten forced fumbles during his career.
• He has good eye-hand coordination as he has batted down balls against the pass
• He has dabbled with dropping back in coverage to confuse the offenses.

• He needs to bulk up and add about 20 pounds of muscle to his frame for the next level; he will only succeed if he does.
  
• He must possess outstanding strength to set the EDGE effectively against the more prominent-sized offensive tackles.
  
• We discovered on film that when his hand is in the dirt, he tends to drop his heat while engaging with the blocker, demonstrating he can not locate the runner at times.
  
• He will get above the pad level when engaging with a blocker because he does not continue to drive his legs.
  
• He will be put on skates due to a poor contact balance and weak anchor and attempts to approach his technique with speed.
  
• His explosive first step can play against him as he will take improper angles and over-pursue the play.
  

Draft Projection: 1st (late) - 3rd Round

NFL Comparison: Julian Okwara (Detroit Lions)

RSS Feed