- Pine Forest High School alum Mac McWilliams was drafted into the NFL.
- McWilliams played college football at UAB and UCF, showcasing his skills as a defensive back.
- He joins other Pine Forest alumni Martin Emerson and Devon Witherspoon in the NFL.
Mac McWilliams is headed to the big leagues. And he’s an Eagle once again.
McWilliams, a Pine Forest alum who went on to play at both the University of Alabama-Birmingham and University of Central Florida, is the latest Pine Forest grad to head to the NFL. McWilliams was selected in the fifth round of the NFL Draft on April 26, selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the 145th overall pick.
McWilliams was the second player from UCF to be drafted, joining running back RJ Harvey, who was selected in the second round by the Denver Broncos.
Mac McWilliams scouting report
McWilliams is a touch on the shorter side, and could possibly be used in a nickel position with his impressive “anticipation and burst” to help support the run defense.
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McWilliams stands at 5-foot-10 and weighed in at 191 pounds at the NFL Combine. He has a wingspan of 29 7/8 inches and a hand length of 8 3/8 inches.
At the NFL Combine, McWilliams ran a 4.41-second 40-yard dash with a 10-yard split of 1.52 seconds. His 40-yard dash was ninth among cornerbacks. He also had a vertical jump of 34 inches, which was 14th among cornerbacks. He didn’t compete in any other drills in Indianapolis.
With a prospect grade of 5.99, which puts him as an average backup or special-teamer, McWilliams also had a composite score of 68, which put him 21st among cornerbacks. His production score was 63 (ranked 22nd among cornerbacks) and an athleticism score of 73 (ranked 15th).
“There is zero hesitation when it’s time to step downhill and support the run, though, and he’s a physical tackler who can do it on his own,” NFL analyst Lance Zierlein wrote. “McWilliams’ 2023 tape was a mess, but he was much improved in 2024 and looks capable of finding backup work as a nickelback for a zone-heavy team.
Where did Mac McWilliams play college football?
McWilliams had a couple stops along the way to the NFL after graduating from Pine Forest. McWilliams began his college career at UAB, joining his older brother, Fish, who was a defensive lineman. The brothers were captains together during the 2023 season.
While at UAB, McWilliams recorded 101 tackles across three seasons, and was the team’s primary punt returner his redshirt-junior season. He added a forced fumble and a fumble recovery, along with 23 pass breakups and an interception his redshirt-sophomore year.
McWilliams transferred to UCF for his redshirt-senior, and final, college football season. He recorded 32 tackles with a forced fumble, a sack and an interception for the Knights.
“I’m glad I was able to experience one of the best crowds in all of college football. The fans here will never be unnoticed,” McWilliams said on social media about UCF, when declaring for the NFL Draft. “To the coaches and players, we didn’t end how we wanted but the sacrifices and tough obstacles we overcame truly showed me what a brotherhood stood for.”
McWilliams also competed at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, where his stock rose a bit thanks to some strong outings during practices throughout the week.
“I’m out here to come every day, and show them I’m one of the best in the country,” McWilliams said during the Senior Bowl. “I’m honored that Jim Nagy and the Senior Bowl invited me out here.”
Where is Mac McWilliams from?
McWilliams now joins a long list of players to be drafted from Pensacola and Northwest Florida in general. This is the fifth draft in a row to feature a Pensacola-area player. The 2024 NFL Draft included Navarre alum Jordan Jefferson, who was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars.
McWilliams was a standout at Pine Forest High School, a historically strong defensive team that’s sent numerous players onto the college level.
In two seasons starting at defensive back for Pine Forest, McWilliams recorded 121 tackles and 11 interceptions, including a standout three-interception game against West Florida in his senior year. Five of those interceptions his senior year were pick-6’s.
He was also valuable on special teams with 325 yards on kickoff returns as a senior, and 129 punt return yards. He returned one each for a touchdown.
McWilliams was a PNJ first-team All-Area pick his senior year.
“He had some great moments in games. If you’ve been around sports in awhile, you know that people make the best plays in practice. Just watching him, we’ll do one-on-ones and he’d guard guys three times in a row where I wouldn’t let the DBs rotate. He competed in practice all the time,” former Pine Forest defensive coordinator Kadetrix Marcus said. “But the way he practiced, that’s what stood out to me to know that he was going to be an elite player. It’s easy to turn it on in a game. But if you’re doing that every day in practice and translate it to games, while enjoying the process of it, those are the guys who are going to become elite players.”
Other NFL players who went to Pine Forest High
McWilliams is the third defensive back in the last few years to be drafted from Pine Forest. He joins both Martin Emerson (Cleveland Browns) and Devon Witherspoon (Seattle Seahawks) to join the league since at least 2022.
Emerson was a third-round selection in 2022 and Witherspoon was the fifth overall pick in 2023, and he’s now a two-time Pro Bowl selelection.
“Those two cats, they showed me the way and paved the way for me since Pine Forest,” McWilliams said during the Senior Bowl. “I’m just following their lead and trying to get where both Spoon and MJ and are.”
“When Martin went first (in 2022), it was then a conversation with Devon, ‘OK, now it’s your turn.’ When Devon went, Mac said, ‘OK, now it’s my time,'” Marcus said. “Those guys, playing against each other, we say, ‘Birds of a feather flock together.’ When you see your peers do something that you want, it makes it easier as far as the dream being attainable.”
