McClain afraid of combine? | Page 4 | FinHeaven - Miami Dolphins Forums

McClain afraid of combine?

R&R Express said:
He is worth every bit of a top 15 pick to a 3-4 team. A 4-3 team not so much.
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And why not in a 4-3? Because people question his athleticism... Part of what makes Parick Willis so great are his instincts, size, and ATHLETICISM.. And he plays in a 3-4. As does Ray Lewis.

The bottom line is he still has much to prove in the athleticism department.
 
R&R Express said:
Blind love. McClain is hands down the best ILB prospect in the draft. That's not really even a debate considering the next best might not even be drafted in the 1st round.
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Are you related to Rolando Mcclain?
 
Namor said:
  • Read & React: Excellent key-and-diagnose skills. Identifies the play quickly and has little to no wasted motion in getting to the action. Rarely fooled by misdirection. Recognizes screens quickly and attacks before linemen have a chance to set up blocks. Dedicated and he has to be kicked out of the film room.
  • Run defense: Prototypical size and strength for inside linebacker. Instinctive. Takes good angles to the ball. Good vision and balance to flow through the trash. Great strength in his hands to stack and shed blockers. Tall enough to locate the ballcarrier while being blocked and can forcefully toss the blocker to the side to make the play. Has good, not great speed lateral and straight-line speed to the sideline. Faster on the field than in workouts because of his instincts.
  • Pass defense: Gains good depth in his drops, but is stiff and struggles a bit changing direction to stay with receivers in man coverage. Alert in zone and shows good route recognition. Closes on the ball quickly. Long arms and quick hands to slap away the pass as it arrives. At least adequate ball skills (five career INTs).
  • Tackling: True thumper that can be an intimidating force in the middle. Classic hit-lift-drive tackler with the strength to knock the ballcarrier off his feet with the long arms to wrap around for the secure stop. Breaks down well in space to make the sure stop against smaller, quicker ballcarriers. Good hustle laterally, though he can give up too easily in pursuit downfield.
  • Pass Rush/Blitz: Great size and closing speed but he isn't there yet. Times his blitz well and gets skinny to get through the line of scrimmage. Doesn't show enough hand technique to disengage as a pass rusher. Relies on his bull rush to push the pocket and is strong enough for this to be effective. Savvy enough to get his hands up in the passing lanes when he can't get to the quarterback in time.
  • Intangibles: Described as a film junkie and defensive coordinator on the field. Is characterized as not only knowing his assignment on every defensive call, but also the job of every defensive teammate. Incredibly competitive. Never missed a game at Alabama. Voted a team captain in 2009 as a junior.
This how NFL scouts view McClain....how does running at the combine change
his body of work at Alabama?
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Again, the only thing that I question is his athleticism. He was not able to answer that at the combine. I am not arguing that he is not a very instinctive/smart linebacker. Although out of this scouting report I do question his tackling. Look up anywhere else and he is not described as a "thumper."
 
Mike Singletary said:
"He's a heckuva football player," Mike Singletary said today before addressing reporters from a podium at the NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium.

"Intelligence, toughness, awareness, instincts. That's probably his No. 1 quality. ...
Anybody that gets him is getting a good football player."

Singletary was asked if 40-yard dash times are overrated for middle linebackers.

"Absolutely," he said. "There are some players that will run a great 40. There are others that don't run a 40 that won't turn a lot of heads. But the No. 1 thing, when you look at film: the football player. The teams that win year in and year out are the teams that have more football players."

McClain is rated as the No. 1 inside linebacker and the No. 6 overall prospect in the NFL draft by Scott Wright, an NFL draft expert.

By the way, what was Singletary's 40-yard dash time in his playing days with the Chicago Bears?

"About a 4.6," he said.
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AL.com
 
NamathDrunkLove said:
And why not in a 4-3? Because people question his athleticism... Part of what makes Parick Willis so great are his instincts, size, and ATHLETICISM.. And he plays in a 3-4. As does Ray Lewis.

The bottom line is he still has much to prove in the athleticism department.
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If you compare every ILB that comes out to Lewis or Willis, you're never going to be satisfied, ever. McCLain is almost a Dansby clone, yet everybody wants us to sign Dansby. You don't have to have elite athleticism to be a very good ILB, and watching tape on MCClain you can see that he's plenty athletic enough to make it at the next level, no question about it.
 
When did it become fashionable to knock McClain? Most of the people dogging the guy have probably never seen him play more than 2 quarters of football.
 
We need FOOTBALL PLAYERS ,not combine warriors...remember the great
Vernon Gholston?
How athletic and fast was Zach Thomas?
 
R&R Express said:
If you compare every ILB that comes out to Lewis or Willis, you're never going to be satisfied, ever. McCLain is almost a Dansby clone, yet everybody wants us to sign Dansby. You don't have to have elite athleticism to be a very good ILB, and watching tape on MCClain you can see that he's plenty athletic enough to make it at the next level, no question about it.
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With signing Dansby you get a proven player and you do not have to give up a draft pick. And at the 12th spot in the draft you better have some pretty good measurables to be picked that high. Again, if he was so athletic, then why are so many people questioning his athleticism? Everywhere you look online scouts question his athleticism. I do not doubt that he has the talent to be a very good player, just at the 12th spot in the draft I want someone with measurables to go along with instincts.
 
NamathDrunkLove said:
I am not debating whether he is going to be a good football player. I am debating whether is he is worth picking top 15.
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I know. Just thought it was a cool article since he coaches the LB people were talking about earlier in the thread.


Drafting a LB this high can be risky, and I guess we'll see what happens.
 
dang, 4.6 back then is prob like 4.4 now with how much faster players on o have gotten. i'm surprised he ran that.

with that said, i see like 4.7 for mcclain. which isn't bad for his size.
 
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