T.
J. Mcdonald.
T.
J. Mcdonald.
USC· 6'2"· 219 lb· 4.59s 40
The Rams defensive scheme primarily utilized a 4-3 multiple front with an emphasis on aggressive pass rush and disciplined coverage.
McDonald's Year 1 role could be a core special teams player and a rotational strong safety, with the ceiling to develop into a starting box safety who can contribute as a tackler and occasional blitzer.
He would be a poor fit for a single-high safety system that demands extensive deep zone coverage responsibilities.
McDonald's aggressive playstyle and tackling ability align well with the Rams' physical defensive identity, allowing him to play closer to the line of scrimmage while needing to refine his pass coverage skills.
Selected #71 overall in Round 3 of the 2013 NFL Draft by St. Louis Rams out of USC.
Relative Athletic Score (Kent Lee Platte) benchmarks combine/pro-day numbers against every measured prospect at the position since 1987. 10.00 is elite; 5.00 is average.
— — — positional median (p50)
- 40 yd
- 4.59sp50
- Vertical
- 40inp50
- Broad jump
- 131inp50
- Three-cone
- 6.89sp50
- Shuttle
- 4.20sp50
- Bench
- 19repp50
| Yr | Team | G | Tkl | Sk | Int | PD | FF |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | USC | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2010 | USC | 12 | 89 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2011 | USC | 12 | 67 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2012 | USC | 13 | 112 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | — | 50 | 275 | 2 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
A dash means the figure is not published by a source we trust — never a zero we invented.
Everything above is the pre-draft evaluation. This section is what actually happened — updated year over year.
T. J. McDonald played safety for the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams and Miami Dolphins. He was a consistent starter for the Rams for several seasons before signing with the Dolphins.