Adrian McDonald is working hard on making an impression while trying to enjoy what he has been chasing since he first put on pads.
The former Houston safety is now with the San Diego Chargers, signed as an undrafted free agent shortly after the draft was done. We checked in with McDonald before he headed to San Diego, and now he goes one-on-one again as the Chargers wrapped up rookie mini-camp and begin Organized Team Activities (OTAs).
“This has been a dream of mine since I was a kid,” McDonald told AAC Fever. “Going from college football to the highest level is something I’ve worked hard to do.”
McDonald talked about the rigors of rookie camp and what life is like now that football is a full-time job instead of juggling workouts with college classes.
“We have a lot of rookie meetings,” McDonald said. “But it takes a lot of pressure off you being able to focus on just that one thing.”
As for the other rookies in San Diego? McDonald is the only rookie safety the Chargers drafted or signed as a rookie free agent. You can see the rookies in this video. McDonald wears No. 27.
“Everyone had a good vibe with each other, “McDonald said. “We all have the same goal of making a football team. Our resumes and our college stats don’t matter anymore. You have to showcase what you have and try to make plays.”
Right now life is also a little different when it comes to work on the field and in the weight room. During rookie camp and OTAs, players aren’t wearing pads – just helmets and shorts. There will be four practices this week for the Chargers, and then six more after Memorial Day to round out OTAs. Training Camp starts at the end of July.
“We go through special teams drills first and then do individual workouts for about 20 minutes before we do seven-on-seven drills,” McDonald said. “In the weight room we aren’t maxing out anymore. It’s all about building muscle and taking care of your body to stay healthy.”
There have been a lot of changes for McDonald as he makes this transition, but he’s had plenty of help so far. Jahleel Addae is a third-year safety out of Central Michigan. Like McDonald, Addae was an undrafted free agent who made the team as a rookie. While McDonald may be challenging Addae for a roster spot, McDonald says the two have already formed a bond.
“If there are things I don’t see (Addae) is there to talk with me about it,” McDonald said. “He’s telling me it’s possible to make it happen. He told me what he did and, look, it worked out for him.”
Also helping McDonald in San Diego is a very familiar face. Former Houston running back Kenneth Farrow is a fellow unsigned free agent. The two are rooming together in San Diego.
“He’s like a brother to me,” McDonald said. “We spend a lot of time together just like we did in Houston.”
McDonald says both he and Farrow feel they have an advantage coming into this situation because of where they came from. McDonald gave Houston coach Tom Herman praise for preparing him for the next level, even in just one season. McDonald said he sees a lot of similarities so far in the way the two programs operate.
“(San Diego coaches) aren’t going to treat you like little kids,” McDonald said. “Coach Herman did a good job with us teaching accountability, so that prepared us for this. It’s what we’re used to. I feel like we’re ahead of the game when it comes to that.”
But even though McDonald knows his college accomplishments don’t mean anything to his new coaches, he is keeping Houston and his experience there close to his heart. The Chargers drafted two players out of Ohio State, where Herman was the offensive coordinator before taking the Houston job. The Chargers drafted two players out of OSU, defensive lineman Joey Bosa and linebacker Joshua Perry.
McDonald says he’s talked a lot with Perry in San Diego. He says Perry has some good Herman stories, but didn’t want to share too many details. But one thing McDonald couldn’t help but talk about were the similarities between Herman and Ohio State coach Urban Meyer.
“The stuff (Perry) told me that coach Meyer had to say were the same things Herman was talking to us about at Houston,” McDonald said. “Coach Herman has that Ohio State thing going on at Houston. His plan is real.”
McDonald says he’ll be watching what happens back in Houston this season, but for now his focus is squarely on San Diego. McDonald tells me he’s been trying to soak it all in, including his first trip to the Pacific Ocean.
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And hopefully it won’t be his last. But McDonald says he knows there is a long road ahead of him, a road he’s trying hard to take one step at a time.
“I’m just looking to make some plays,” McDonald says. “That’s where my identity is. I’m hoping to make some money at this level while enjoying what I’m doing. I just have to keep on getting after it and hopefully everything will work out.”
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