Iowa State's Will McDonald delivers strong NFL Combine showing despite 104-degree fever

A fever this week that reportedly pushed 104 degrees didn't stop Will McDonald from a solid showing at the NFL Combine.

The Iowa State edge rusher, who has recently shown up in the top 10 of several mock drafts, delivered a broad jump of 11-feet and a 36-inch vertical Thursday in Indianapolis. McDonald's broad jump tied for the best among defensive ends at this year's Combine and is the third best among defensive ends at the Combine overall since 2009.

The first day of action at the Combine opened with FoxSports.com's Peter Schrager reporting McDonald came down with a significant fever Tuesday night but was going to go through some of the drills despite "being sick and losing some weight over the last 48 hours."

More: Iowa State's Will McDonald, a 'freak' who terrorized practice, takes next step to NFL

McDonald opted not to run the 40-yard dash but did participate in the four-bag drill, the "Wave" drill, the pass-rushing drill and others.

NFL Network personalities referenced McDonald's rise multiple times. Noted NFL Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had NFL veteran Bruce Irvin as his McDonald comp. Earlier in the week, ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. projected the Cyclones standout to go No. 8 overall to the Atlanta Falcons.

Former Iowa State standout MJ Anderson also got his Combine shot Thursday. He delivered a vertical jump of 33 inches, which tied for 17th among defensive ends and edge rushers at the Combine.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Potential 1st-rounder Will McDonald strong at NFL Combine after fever