MVP of one of the better DBs groups I’ve had the pleasure of covering. Start to finish, I was blown away by this kid. Others might say they have the edge over Elizabeth’s McDougald because the senior didn’t participate in the 40 or broad. Makes sense, yet that should prove how excellent the young man performed in Indis and 1v1s. 5’9, 166 pounds yet performed like he stood at six feet tall and 200+. Physical DB whose hand strikes are felt. Purposeful approach at the LOS, I can tell he’s seasoned in pre/post snap leverage techniques. Again, fires off his hands well with intent of directing a wideout to his liking. Full confidence too, didn’t want to hear that any DB or wideout was better than he was. Should be ranked. A kid whose tape I turned on immediately after the event ended. A senior worthy of attention from coaches, along with his teammate Isaiah De Rosa Isaiah De Rosa 5'10" | 170 lbs | DB Elizabeth | 2024 NJ .

Although I unfortunately missed the combine portion of the showcase, as soon as I walked in my fellow scout had bib #90 circled on his roster and informed me that this kid murdered the combine. McDougald is his name and this kid could move. One of the first players I watched for, McDougald’s hips are as automatic as a high-velocity blender. He was able to flip his hips both quickly and violently – even when his position coach challenged him with a fast pace hip flip drill. The thing about this, however, was how effortlessly McDougald made it look. When reacting to the ball the Elizabeth standout was able to get down hill in a hurry and had sure hands, never dropping an interception. When in competition, McDougald was not faked out by a double move and stuck with the receiver the entire time. It appears that he also knows how to use his hands when playing a defender without drawing, what I would consider, a penalty. McDougald, a safety, also practiced great discretion and discipline when picking-and-choosing when to undercut a route to defend the pass.

McDougald was a player that shined when I got a chance to watch him live and in person. Playing safety, McDougald is a strong man-coverage defender who rarely gets either outs out-leveraged or out-positioned. He was not challenged too much when playing centerfield; however, he fills the ally like a bat-out-of-hell, playing aggressive in run support. A quality tackler, he made sure no big plays were sprung loose if he got hands on a ball carrier. Lastly, he is more than capable to lower the boom, leveling defenders and dislodging balls loose.