Carolina Panthers fan here about Robert McClain

by silver82blade on Jun 26, 2010 7:38 AM EDT

Alright, hook us up with the deal on this guy. Carolina drafted him in the seventh round (249th overall). What are his strengths and weaknesses? What do you think are his chances of making the team (if any of you know anything about our cornerbacks)? Thanks folks.

I need to say irrelevent stuff to make the 75 word minimum. Oh wow, there's a spider web in the corner of the ceiling. Ok, that should do it.

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Love me some McClain

McClain was originally recruited at running back, but he quickly made the switch over to the defensive backfield, where he started for a season-plus.

His negatives are pretty obvious: He has the height and build of a Leprechaun who may or may not be from the hood, and therefore, he’ll probably struggle in coverage against the bigger, more-physical NFL receivers. And although he was athletic enough to matchup with wideouts in the Big East, I have my doubts about his ability to do the same against pro ones.

But he was UConn’s biggest ballhawk in the secondary — he was second on the team with four as a senior and three in 2008 — and always found his way to the ball (especially in run support for a DB) despite his diminutive stature, finishing fourth on the team in total tackles, second in solo tackles and fourth in tackles for a loss. He was also a decent punt-returner and he never missed a game his final three seasons.

I’d be a little surprised if he made the team, considering his game doesn’t seem to translate well to the pros, but it wouldn’t be shocking; he was always a valuable contributor and, for what it’s worth, a solid team leader.

by UConnBlog Justin on Jun 27, 2010 7:12 PM EDT reply actions

Good stuff, thanks. Run support is an area of concern for the Panthers this year, so a guy like that may help. The thing is, even if he made the team, I don’t know how much playing time he’d see. We already have two established starters at corner, and a 2nd year nickelback who did pretty well his first year. I’m not saying it’s impossible to unseat the nickel, but it’s unlikely for a rookie to come in and do that. Do you know if he played any special teams coverage in college? Maybe his nose for the ball would translate well to that, and he could catch the coaches’ eyes.

Right now, he’s competing with a 2nd year undrafted free agent, a 4th year seventh rounder (226th overall) who has done little in his pro career and never started a game, and a fellow seventh round pick (223rd overall) from this year. Brian Witherspoon is also listed as a cornerback, but I doubt he sees any time at corner. He was only signed this offseason to return kicks. It should be fascinating to see which seventh round corner from this year’s draft will make the team, or maybe both will. Don’t worry about his height. The other seventh rounder is only an inch taller.

stuff 'bout stuff.

by silver82blade on Jun 28, 2010 3:00 AM EDT up reply actions

I don't recall

him playing special teams at all. … Perhaps someone else here may remember better, but I don’t remember seeing him as a gunner or anything. In fact, I was a little surprised he ran so fast at his pro day. He was always a quick guy, but 4.5 was a bit surprising.

by UConnBlog Justin on Jun 28, 2010 4:49 PM EDT up reply actions