The biggest thing to watch with Tennessee Titans seventh-round pick Cole McDonald this offseason and in the preseason is how he improves his throwing motion.
The knock on McDonald coming out of college was that he took too long to get rid of the football with his elongated motion, and it’s something he has been working on with quarterback guru Steve Calhoun.
In a recent video posted to his Instagram (H/T Mike Herndon of Music City Miracles), McDonald, who is working out with Titans UDFA wide receiver Kyle Williams, gave us an updated look at his progress.
We can certainly see the adjustments McDonald has been able to make thus far, but it appears he still has a ways to go, as his motion hasn’t been adequately shortened up yet.
In a recent interview with John Glennon of The Athletic, McDonald explained what goes into fixing the biggest hole in his game.
“In terms of me and what I’m working on, obviously my throwing motion is the biggest thing,” McDonald said. “I’m learning just to create muscle memory, shortening my motion, which is ultimately going to result in more accurate, more efficient throws and a tighter release.”
“It’s all about your mental capacity, in terms of adapting to the situation and ultimately making yourself a better player and a better person,” he said. “For me, I don’t think it’s very tough. It’s just going to take works and more reps.”
This kind of slow and steady progress doesn’t come as much of a surprise, as McDonald figured to need plenty of development, which is why he was a seventh-round pick in the first place.
Regardless, the Hawaii product will go into training camp and compete with Logan Woodside for the backup job. If he can continue to improve his form, McDonald could conceivably win the job thanks to his overall skill set (big arm, athleticism) being superior to that of Woodside.
