Philadelphia Eagles: Get to know Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald
The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly shown interest in Hawaii’s Cole McDonald, but is he the right developmental quarterback moving forward?
The Philadelphia Eagles have a quarterback problem.
It’s not like, a huge problem mind you, as Carson Wentz will in all likelihood be the team’s primary signal-caller for the next decade-plus, but if he gets hurt, boy howdy could things go south in a hurry.
As of today, roughly a week before the 2020 NFL Draft, the Eagles only have three quarterbacks under contract, Wentz, Nate Sudfeld, and ex-New York Giants fourth-round pick Kyle Lauletta. Outside of Wentz, Sudfeld and Lauletta have collectively completed 20-30 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown in five games of action.
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That’s… not good.
Now granted, the 2020 NFL season is still young, and the Eagles could sign their favorite option left on the open market at any point moving forward – like, say Joe Flacco – but all that would say is they aren’t 100 percent sold on Sudfeld as a full-time backup.
Should they be sold on Sudfeld? At this point, who’s to say, but if the Birds don’t at least bring in some competition, they’re entering the 2020 NFL season in a very, very vulnerable situation.
Fortunately, the Eagles have been preparing for that very situation, as they have reportedly shown interest in Hawaii quarterback Cole McDonald as a developmental Day 3 prospect.
Measuring in at 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, McDonald was a two-year starter for the Rainbow Warriors, where he threw for 8,010 yards on 995 attempts with a 69-24 touchdown to interception ratio. Despite playing for a less-than prolific program with nary an NFL product to work with, McDonald vaulted Nick Rolovich‘s squad from the worst team in the Mountain West Conference in 2017 to a pair of winning seasons in 2018-19; Hawaii’s first winning season since 2010.
On paper, there’s a lot to like about McDonald as a prospect. He has a big-ish arm, great athleticism – highlighted by his 4.58 40 yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine – and 27 games of experience in an air raid system. If tasked with playing the role of an offensive distributor in an RPO-heavy offensive scheme – the same sort of scheme Doug Pederson crafted for Nick Foles in 2018 and 2019 – McDonald would probably do a fairly good job even as a rookie.
However, if McDonald is asked to do more than three-step drops and easy reads, things could get real ugly, real quick.
First and foremost, McDonald does not have great accuracy down the field. If you are looking for a budget Jordan Love – who himself is a budget Patrick Mahomes – he has all of the tools to be among the best athletes in this year’s class, but he just hasn’t put it all together. His receivers typically have to re-adjust to balls in the air, he routinely overthrows receivers, and he throws picks at an alarming rate. The Moutain West isn’t exactly known for its defensive dominance, so things could get downright ugly when McDonald faces live bullets from NFL defenses.
Factor in McDonald’s ineffectiveness as a rusher – as he’s only amassed 880 yards on 251 attempts over his college career for a 3.5 ypc average – and you have a player who should be a certified playmaker, but just isn’t.
Maybe Pederson could fix some of those issues with a few years of seasoning, but really, is that what the Eagles need in 2020?
We certainly don’t need another Clayton Thorson situation on our hands.
dark. Next. Easton Stick could be a Draft day trade target
If the Philadelphia Eagles want to draft a Day 3 quarterback with a higher floor, there are a ton of solid options who could be available in the fourth and fifth round; players like Washington State‘s Anthony Gordon, San Jose State‘s Josh Love, or Oregon State‘s Jake Luton. Heck, the Eagles could even trade a conditional pick to the Los Angeles Chargers for Easton Stick, who will all but certainly be available on Day 3. However, investing a pick on Cole McDonald may be a bit too risky, as he’s more of a project than a viable backup moving forward.