He played college football for the Memphis Tigers and was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the seventh round of the 2009 NFL draft.

McDonald also played in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, and Arizona Cardinals.

[3] 2005 McDonald was one of just six true freshmen to see action in 2005, playing in all 12 games for the Tigers, primarily with the special teams unit.

He totaled four tackles against Southern Miss and five versus Houston, recovering his first fumble against the Cougars while also being credited with a pass breakup.

Against UTEP, he equaled his season high with six tackles, which included one and a half tackles for a loss of eight yards, and blocked a Reagan Schneider 26-yard field goal attempt that would have closed UTEP's deficit to one point heading into the locker room at the half.

McDonald ended the year ranked ninth on the team in tackles with 41 and was one of just two Tigers to block a kick for the season.

He was named the 2007 Memphis Defensive Co-Player of the Year at the team's postseason banquet, and was an honorable mention All-Conference USA pick in 2007.

McDonald logged four tackles against Southern Miss with two resulting in lost yardage, including a sack for minus four yards on QB Jeremy Young, halting a potential USM touchdown early in the fourth quarter, forcing a 4th-and-12 from the Memphis 17.

McDonald served as one of the team captains against SMU, garnering two tackles with a sack for a loss of six yards on QB Justin Willis in the third quarter.

He was named 2007 Co-Defensive Player of the Year at the team banquet, and was an honorable mention All-Conference USA pick.

His agent, New York-based Neil Schwartz, told him his Pro Day workout boosted his draft status.

[6][7] McDonald failed to make the final roster as a rookie, and was waived on September 5, 2009, before re-signing to the practice squad the following day where he remained all season.

McDonald was signed to the Bengals active roster November 8, 2010, and played in a total of 8 games, registering 4 tackles.

[10] McDonald recorded his first career NFL interception on November 17, 2013, picking off QB Matt Cassel and returning it 3 yards in a 41-20 victory over the Minnesota Vikings.

After a good training camp, McDonald was named starting defensive tackle alongside Gerald McCoy.