The player Fangio was asked about was Mac McWilliams, a fifth-round pick out of UCF who’d showcased a hard-nosed mentality and sticky coverage through the first week of camp.
Listed at 5-foot-10, 191 pounds, McWilliams fits the bill of a dynamic nickelback, showcasing his knack for physicality, short-area quickness and click-and-close ability, along with possessing a high-level football IQ. And for the first half of training camp, McWilliams, largely operating as the second-team nickel behind Cooper DeJean, compiled his fair share of memorable reps, supporting Fangio’s acknowledgement.
His role for the 2025 season appeared to be etched in stone, the rapid development potentially arming Fangio with enough confidence to deploy DeJean elsewhere.
But McWilliams would soon sustain a quad injury, sidelining him for a handful of practices. Upon returning, perhaps intrigued by the prospects of maximizing his value or promoting competition, McWilliams would be cross-trained outside, the latest addition to a crowded competition in contention for the No. 2 cornerback role. McWilliams, who entered the league with appealing inside-outside versatility, took to his added responsibility, his reps logged exclusively on the second team.
Whether inside, outside or in dime packages, McWilliams can help the team in a multitude of ways. But as the season nears, regardless of his role, McWilliams is singularly focused on what he can do to help the Eagles.
As part of a season-long Inside The Birds “Rookie Diary” series, I’ll be checking in with McWilliams every week, learning more about the first-year cornerback and chronicling his rookie campaign.
On Monday, we chatted for our first installment.
Andrew: Let’s start with this. Your first name is Dacarrion? When did it become Mac?
Mac: “DacarriON. To be real, folks didn’t start calling me Mac until I got to high school. I was always … growing up, I had a nickname Duda. Everybody used to call me that, just my nickname. But once I got to high school, I guess everybody started calling me Mac. I got an older brother named Fish. Well, his nickname is Fish. That his nickname, ‘Fish Sandwich.’ So, I guess, they started calling me Mac once they saw that he was my older brother and that he was going big — like, going to college, I think he had a lot of offers. In high school, they just started calling me Mac, and I just ran with it after that.”
Andrew: So, where did Duda come from?
Mac: “My mom and my granny, they used to call me that. I was, like, one of the bad kids. So, anytime something bad was gonna happen — or they wanted to see something bad happen — they were like, ‘Get ’em, Duda! Get ’em, Duda!'”
Andrew: Your brother, Fish, was a defensive tackle. How competitive was that growing up? What kind of battles did you guys have?
Mac: Oh, man. We battled every day, growing up. We were separate — because we had the same dad, different mom’s — but once we got together, we always clashed heads. We used to race all the time … he used to be faster than me growing up, actually. Fish was kind of fast. We raced every day and made sure I competed with him. Then, once we got to high school — I didn’t get to go to high school with him — we literally were, you jump a fence and that’s his high school. So, we always used to look at each other across the gate and tell each other how we’re gonna do each other when we see ’em on Friday night lights and things like that. So, it was fun. I love it.”
Andrew: So, at what point did you start to beat him in those races?
Mac: “Definitely when we got to high school. He gained a little bit of weight, converting to d-tackle. Because he was playing running back; he was a great running back in little league. So, once he got to high school, they converted him to d-tackle, he gained a couple pounds … and the rest is history.”
Andrew: What are your memories of growing up in Pensacola, Fla.?
Mac: “It was a lot of great memories. I’d definitely say it’s a well-known — well, I wouldn’t say well-known — city, but the folks that live there, I’d say we’re all family. Pensacola is so small, everybody knows everybody. So, you know, just having the good memories … having great friends, great parents, co-parents. Everything. It’s a blessing.”
Andrew: You went to Pine Forest High School and played with Martin Emerson and Devon Witherspoon. What was that secondary like and how competitive was that group as a trio?
Mac: Same thing as my brother. We used to go at it every day at practice. We never let a receiver catch balls on us. We made sure if a receiver caught a ball on us, we made sure the other guy ran all the way down — it was like 300 yards, we had a fence by there, so every time a receiver would catch a ball, we used to run all the way down there to the fence. So, just getting that thrill and that excitement. Them guys was big-time coming out of high school, especially Martin Emerson. He was having SEC, DI since he was a freshman in high school. So, just looking at all the scouts coming in … it was a dream to do this.
Andrew: You were a defensive back, but you also returned punts. When’s the last time you did that?
Mac: I did it in college a little bit, but I didn’t get any returns. I can count on one hand how many returns I had in college. I think I had two or three. I was really a fair-catch guy, especially when I got to UAB. We really weren’t a punt return team, so making sure I got good field position for the offense.”
Andrew: Taking you back to April now. Do you remember draft day? Set the scene.
Mac: Oh, lord. Well, I was in Destin. That morning, I woke up. I knew that day was gonna be the day that I got drafted, but I was thinking the whole other days, too, I was gonna get drafted. So, I just woke up with the mentality … I prayed before I got up out the bed, asked God to come through with everything that he’s always done for me. I had all my family members there and everything like that, and once I got that call, the rest was history, man. I appreciate all the staff members, Howie [Roseman], Nick [Sirianni] for drafting me and just believing in me.”
Andrew: Did you have any pre-draft interaction with the Eagles?
Mac: “I definitely didn’t. At the Reese’s [Senior] Bowl, I talked to them, but once we got to the Scouting Combine, I didn’t have a formal or nothing like that with them.”
Andrew: Did you know of anything about Philadelphia before you got here?
Mac: “I knew a little bit. I definitely did a Zoom call with coach Roy [Anderson]. We touched up a little bit, and they definitely said that I was one of the guys that they liked.”
Andrew: How about the city of Philadelphia and the fans? Did you know anything about that?
Mac: “No, I did not know until I got here.”
Andrew: You got a chance to see the crowd in the preseason and the turnout for open practice. What are your initial impressions?
Mac: “Man, I love it. I ain’t gonna lie, Philadelphia, I feel like I can definitely make this my second home. Great crowd, great fans. They’re diehard about this football; you can definitely tell.”
Andrew: Is there a particular defensive back whose been a resource and shown you the ropes?
Mac: “I’d definitely say all of them. Me and Drew [Mukuba] coming in, being the only rookie DBs. So, Coop, Quinyon … even when J.B. [Jakorian Bennett] came in. Adoree’. All them guys, they’ve been in the game for a little minute now. So, just critiquing myself and getting little tips from them to improve my game.”
Andrew: What do you like about this defense?
Mac: “They get to the ball, man. They get to the ball, they want the ball and they’re gonna do anything for it.”
Andrew: What are some of the demands of playing the nickel role that most on the outside wouldn’t know?
Mac: “You gotta be physical, definitely. Because you got big o-linemen and you got slot receivers that are trying to get up on you. I’d definitely say the main point is just being physical and knowing where your help is. You gotta have a little bit of IQ playing in the nickel, but once you get ahold of it, it’s all football at the end of the day.”
Andrew: Vic Fangio has offered praise whenever your name has come up this summer. What have your interactions been with him, and how do you see your fit in his defense?
Mac: “I love coach Vic. I’d definitely say I still got a long way to go. I definitely appreciate him praising me and things like that, but I’m just taking things day by day. Coach Vic, he has a great scheme that he’s got for us, and I’m just out here trying to compete and be the best I can be.”
Andrew: What is your approach when you’re playing on the perimeter, going against bigger wide receivers?
Mac: “Definitely get my hands on, try to slow their track down. Bigger guys, they like to push off, so just making sure I get my hand placement right and being physical at the top of the route.”
Andrew: “Is that something that you had to work at, or did it just come natural, the physicality, the playing bigger than your size?”
Mac: “I’d definitely say a little bit of both. It’s always things that you can improve on, but as long as you’ve got that heart and the will and the desire to go out there and compete at the highest level, then you should be all right.”
Andrew: How about the cross-training, Mac? How challenging was learning two positions?
Mac: I did a little bit in college with it, I’d just say, at the NFL level, it’s more schemed up and you gotta think a little bit more. So, just having that little knowledge that I had from going into college and transferring to the NFL, that definitely helped me a little bit.”
Andrew: What were the hours like as you were crash course studying playing the outside?
Mac: It was definitely a long process. Long nights studying. But as long as you got the heart to do it, man … if you just love football, you’re gonna go out there and you’re gonna do whatever it takes.”
Andrew: Have you given any thought to what it’ll feel like to run out of that tunnel Thursday night?
Mac: “I haven’t got that thought yet. I’m just waiting for it to come.”
– Andrew DiCecco (@AndrewDiCecco) is a Staff Reporter/Content Producer for InsideTheBirds.com
Comments are closed here.