How high is Cole McDonald’s ceiling with the Titans?

The Good:

Above all else, it’s the versatility to Cole McDonald’s game that made him such a dangerous player in college– and makes his potential in the NFL so exciting.

As a passer, McDonald has the arm strength that’s going to make for some fun deep-ball highlights at some point in his pro career. He doesn’t quite have the Uncle Rico “Throw A Football Over Them Mountains” type arm, but he has the arm-strength to realistically make any throw an NFL team would ever ask of him.

But arm strength, for as exciting as it is, can be an overrated trait by fans and teams alike. The real star of McDonald’s ability as a passer comes with his accuracy on those deep passes. For the proof, I present Exhibit A.

Cherry-picked highlights, I know. And given, what isn’t shown there is McDonald really missing on some of those throws, either with poorly timed passes or just some head-scratching decision making. But those are the kinds of faults that can be coached out of a player, and if he can get that out of his system, what’s left will be the Cole McDonald that can put 40-yard bombs right on the money with ease.

All that passing ability comes with a little extra as well, as McDonald has enough of a running ability to keep defenses worried. Not a Lamar Jackson type runner, for sure, but what McDonald does have is enough burst to get around defenders and pick up a first down whenever he needs to. Essentially, think Ryan Tannehill as a runner.

McDonald has a unique skill set, one that, if he can exceed expectations, would make him a true dual-threat in the NFL. But that doesn’t mean McDonald is the complete package either.