 He was named a JUCO All-American in 1996 and 1997 at Navarro Junior College before transferring to the University of Oklahoma in 1998.The Detroit Lions selected McDougle 20th in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft.Debuting in Week 10 (November 5, 2000) against the Atlanta Falcons, McDougle started all eight games he played as a rookie.