Will McDonald on Hard Knocks

Next time I fall down, I'm going to try to get up that way. Will makes it look easy enough!
Haha. Yeah, I can do that too.

NOT! That 'up' move and his first sack will garner a lot of attention. Will won't go unnoticed for long, if at all.
 
TBF a lot of D linemen these days look like boys amongst men. The speed game has caught up to the linemen and the days where players are significantly over 300 lbs is quickly coming to an end because they're simply not fast enough anymore. You can put a sub-300 lb DE against a 350-lb OT because that OT won't be fast enough to block the DE - like what we saw in those highlights. I'm not saying size doesn't matter at all, but it's not everything like it was 10-20 years ago.
Just don't let that 350 pounder get his hands on you! :D

1a 1 Don'tKnowSumo.jpg
 
The technique of the offensive tackle to slide back and out to catch the DE is improving every year, and those that cannot do it, are quickly moved inside to become guards. The big change for the offensive tackles is that they are put into a 2-point stance on passing plays to allow them to slide back and out. This move is also why many are trying to cheat and will lineup further back than what is legal for them to do and get called for not being on the line of scrimmage. It's the hardest thing for an offensive tackle to master, and why those that do, play left tackle and are paid millions. Have to protect the QB's blindside.
Sunday Night Football, 10-1-23, week 4!

Boy is it going to be interesting to see The Chiefs with their new Lt Tackle, @ the Jets!

I'm a Chiefs fan, but I'm still rooting for Will to get in there a time or two!
 
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Dude makes the NFL and a bunch of arm chair analysts are saying what he needs to be, to be in the NFL. Only on CF:)

Good luck this yr to all the Cyclones in the NFL.

Will: gets 2 sacks in a series going around the edge.

NFL coach: 'yeah but he doesn't weigh 300 lbs, can he play the position like a Bosa or Watt!?'
 
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The bolded are LBers in name only, rarely do they slide back and cover someone, they rush the passer. LBers have evolved like the TE, where they lineup all over the field. If you have someone like Bosa or Crosby, you want to slide them around making it harder for the offense to know which side he is going to rush from. They have the size to play strong side run protection, but the speed to rush the QB.
Technically Danielle Hunter is listed as a LB. You are right, Will is playing basically the same position as those other guys. Edge Rushers are DE in a 4-3 or LB in a 3-4.
 
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Von Miller: 6-3, 250; TJ Watt: 6-4, 250; Hasson Reddick: 6-1, 230. Will McDonald: 6-4, 245.
Obviously Will is way undersized lol
Jets: He isn't 255#, Do not want! Send him back!

Not!

Exciting year in the NFL for Cyclone fans! How will Brock P. do/recover? How will Breece H. do/recover? And, drumroll.......How many sacks will Will M. get? AND how many holding calls will he get? :D
 
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I think a guy like Will can succeed a lot in the NFL at his size. I'm just saying that he is definitely on the light end for an NFL DE.
 
Isu big 12 rank by year from big12sports.com. I'm fine with them doing what they do.

2022 1st
2021 3rd
2020 1st
2019 4th
2018 1st
I see these rankings and think that if we played complimentary football on offense and special teams we would be a top team in the league most years. The D is definitely pulling their own weight.
 
He can still be held olenty though.
Right. The one sack he had in a preseason game the OT must have been from the Big 12, probably OU, because he had the bar arm out holding Will the whole time and he still got around it. If Big 12 officials did their job there would have been a lot more penalties called on our opponents.
 
Some people just can’t let it go that they were wrong that Will needed to gain weight to get drafted in the first round.

Want to stick with your takes that Purdy will never start in the NFL because of arm strength or Tyrese will never make it in the NBA because of his funky shot, too?
 
My biggest complaint without defensive staff the past couple of seasons is we tend to sit back and examine what the offense is doing, and then make changes at halftime. So the defense has a great 2nd have, but has given up 21 points the first half and the offense struggles to come back and win the game.

We have allowed the opposing QB to get settled, get his confidence up and then he rips us apart till we make changes at half. We need to come out blitzing, putting pressure on the QB and then make him adjust to us, not us adjusting to him after he has confidence and is playing well. Thinking about the TT game from last year, the Baylor games ect.
Although not as glaring as the offensive woes of late (being predictable and vanilla), the defense should strive to mix things up too, make the other team and the other team's QB uncomfortable. Hopefully, if we do this, we might expect to see more turnovers, more mistakes by the opposing offense.

I'm just not sure if that is in the cards for a CMC coached team, however. I do think we need to keep the other team guessing more though (offense or defense). But definitely making defensive changes earlier in the game, or just being a bit more creative/change the pace, would be a start.

I saw a clip of the KU coach, I think it was, and he is mixing things up a great deal, a lot of unpredictable plays. They also allow the players to come up with new and unique plays, of offense at least. I think we might need more of this also. We don't have the players to always line up man to man and come out ahead. We need to find more a more creative style.
 
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I think a guy like Will can succeed a lot in the NFL at his size. I'm just saying that he is definitely on the light end for an NFL DE.
lineman in general are getting smaller and more athletic in the college ranks. this change will filter into the NFL during Wills time there. the days of 330 lb hogs is in the past.
 
Here is a write up from the Athletic on all the first-round picks from the last draft. #15 is the spot where he was drafted.

No. 15: Will McDonald IV, edge, New York Jets​

McDonald has been much better than anticipated out of the gate. He still needs to bulk up, but even listed at a thin 241 pounds, he’s mostly dominated against the Jets’ offensive tackles, starters or otherwise. His burst off the line, his bend around the edge and his length have made him a terror for blockers. He would have a handful of sacks in training camp if the Jets counted them, and he nearly got a sack against the Browns in the Hall of Fame Game. He’s going to play a role as a pass-rush specialist right away. — Zack Rosenblatt
 
lineman in general are getting smaller and more athletic in the college ranks. this change will filter into the NFL during Wills time there. the days of 330 lb hogs is in the past.
That's a good thing. 1) Being so big and heavy is not healthy for these players. [Both for them personlly, and for those they may tackle or hit.] 2) The bigger, faster, stronger somewhere along the line reaches a point where the potential injury risk is greater than it needs to be.

I was sort of wondering if it would ever get to the point of a "positional weight limit" in College football and the NFL. It could be another way to maybe keep the game 'safer', and to avoid the extreme weight gain race some of these players must feel they need to adhere to.
 
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