I'm with you -- Wendell was so wildly far ahead of McDonald in experience last season that he was bound to be higher on the depth chart. I don't think you can predict much about this year from that.
In fact, AFAIK at the start of last season, McDonald had never played a single game at center or guard at any level. (He was a D-II tackle who impressed the Packers enough as a UDFA that they kept him on the roster as a project in 2010.)
McDonald's big potential advantage over both Wendell and Koppen, IMO, is positional flexibility. He acquitted himself pretty well as an emergency center, but actually projects better to guard.
I'm not sure I agree with you about the last sentence. McDonald started off playing guard for Green Bay in training camp in 2010 but was switched to center for most of the season. Although he didn't play in any games there were reports that the Packers were high on high and viewed him as a possible successor to Scott Wells. Coach Mike McCarthy lauded McDonald:
"That kid's going to be a good player," coach Mike McCarthy said. "I think Nick McDonald will be on my team for a long time. I think that kid's coming fast. Center, or even a guard. He's a square, tough (expletive). Smart. Has good feet. Those guys coming from small schools, it just takes them a little longer to get over that hurdle. Once they do, man . . . you never have enough of those guys."
McCarthy high on rookie offensive lineman McDonald - JSOnline
McDonald got cut in 2011 in a roster crunch and the Pats snatched him up and got him to the Practice Squad. McDonald's agent, Joe Linta, was instrumental in getting him to the Pats and keeping him there because he believed they would be a good destination for McDonald:
The Packers told him they hoped he'd stick around and play on their practice squad, something McDonald's agent, Joe Linta, thought wasn't in his client's best interest. He was going the wrong way. Linta made some calls, and New England was interested.
In October, Seattle called and wanted to activate him. McDonald was "two seconds away" from leaving, according to Linta, but he convinced him to stay. A few weeks later, Patriots center Dan Connolly was injured, and McDonald was pressed into action. He was activated Dec. 3 and started in the Dec. 4 game against the Indianapolis Colts, and has played in four games.
"He's been great," Connolly said. "We were lucky to get him. He was on the practice squad, but I think everybody knew he was a good player. The coaches saw that in him, too. He was able to step right in and we didn't miss a beat. I think it's a tribute to his hard work and really knowing the system and learning it quickly and being ready to go."
New England Patriots lineman Nick McDonald makes a mother proud - ESPN
That article's a great background read on McDonald, who had a tough early life. He clearly developed some underlying toughness and great work habits. McDonald was actually planning on attending the Indy game with friends who were in town, but he was activated 2 days before the game and thrust into a starting role. He didn't miss a beat. Brian Waters, Matt Light and Tom Brady all lauded his ability to come in on short notice and be prepared. Light noted:
"I think a difficult thing to do is to step in and understand our offense in that year time frame, especially as a rookie or a guy coming in off the streets," left tackle Matt Light said. "He's done a great job, and he's got a lot of confidence when he goes out there and plays. I think it's showed in his ability to step in and do what he's done so far. We'll need it."
Nick McDonald Receives Help From Brian Waters During Lesser-Used Tactic on Silent Snap Count - New England Patriots - NESN.com
Waters, who helped McDonald with hand signals on the silent snap count, noted:
“It’s really a credit to Nick and the work that he put in last week,” Brady told WEEI on Monday morning. “Taking care of the football starts with the center-quarterback exchange. You’ve got to execute the most basic play in football, getting the ball from the center to the quarterback. We spent a lot of time last week trying to be able to do that. To be forced into that situation, where basically Nick’s been on the practice squad and then to elevate him the roster and have him step in was really a great job by him.”
It Is What It Is » Nick McDonald happy to get his first NFL start under his belt
So it seems to me like the Pats lucked into a 24 year old kid who has great size at 6'4" 316#, is tough, durable, can play multiple positions, is mature beyond his years, is humble, has a great work ethic, has overcome adversity, has quick feet for an interior lineman, and who has the mental ability to quickly learn and then execute under pressure. What's not to like?
McDonald's mental processing capability in particular makes me wonder whether he might be more valuable at center than at guard. It reminded me somewhat of Danny Woodhead being signed in 2010 and learning the complex playbook in a couple of days, at least to the point of being able to perform under game conditions. That kind of processing ability is rare, and it's a VERY valuable asset to have in a center who needs to act as the line general. A center with his kind of size, good footwork, and smarts could be a very valuable asset. It's mostly McDonald's processing ability which makes me project him to center rather than to guard. Since he's still new to the position I doubt he would be ready to start full time this year, but I agree with DaBruinz' assessment that McDonald could be a starter by 2013. As good as Dan Connolly has been for us, I think McDonald could be better.
Regardless, I think that McDonald is future starting material at either guard or center. He'll never make it to the PS if cut. The team's saw enough of him to have a sense of his upside, which I think is way higher than Ryan Wendell's, and to keep him on the roster once he was activated. It will be interesting to see what happens going forward, but I'm very high on this kid's future.
The Pats drafted Ted Larsen in 2010 and cut him to keep Nick Kaczur, who never played that year and ended up going on IR with back problems. They hoped to sign Larsen to the PS but Tampa Bay claimed him off waivers. Somewhat similar to what happened to Green Bay with McDonald. Ironically, I think McDonald will end up being better than Larsen. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good.
