| No. 59 – Kansas City Chiefs | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Northwest (Justin, Texas) |
| College: | Washington (2020–2021) San Diego State (2022–2023) TCU (2024) |
| NFL draft: | 2025: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
Cooper McDonald is an American professional football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Washington Huskies, San Diego State Aztecs and TCU Horned Frogs and was signed by the Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2025.
McDonald is from Haslet, Texas. [1] He attended Northwest High School in Justin and competed in football and track and field there. [2] As a junior in football, he had four forced fumbles and two interceptions. [3] He then was named honorable mention all-state and the District 4-5A Division II Defensive MVP as a senior. [1] A three-star recruit, he committed to play college football for the Washington Huskies. [3]
As a freshman at Washington in 2020, McDonald appeared in four games and totaled four tackles and a pass breakup. [4] He then became a starter at linebacker in 2021 after an injury to Zion Tupuola-Fetui. [5] In 10 starts during the 2021 season, he made 25 tackles and one sack. [4] After the season, he entered the NCAA transfer portal. [6] McDonald transferred to the San Diego State Aztecs in 2022, posting 41 tackles, five tackles-for-loss and two sacks that year. [4] In 2023, he started all 12 games and tallied 43 tackles, four tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks. [4] He then transferred to the TCU Horned Frogs for his final year of college football in 2024. [7] With the Horned Frogs, he posted 25 tackles, four tackles-for-loss and three sacks in nine games played. [8]
After going unselected in the 2025 NFL draft, McDonald signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent, following a successful rookie minicamp tryout. [8]