McClain news
 

Alabama ILB Rolando McClain is reportedly not even in the top 32 on some teams' draft boards.
McClain's speed and agility testing will be key because it's believed he may not run better than 4.7 in the forty. 4-3 teams want middle linebackers to have sideline-to-sideline range. McClain may be billed strictly as a 3-4 inside 'backer if he doesn't excel in movement drills over the weekend.
Source: Move The Sticks on Twitter

interesting
p.s. sorry if repost

Not surprised on that, I think he's a 2 down strong side backer in a 4-3 so yea not a first rounder to them.

Heh, well, I guess I can comprehend the criticisms, but this kid will be successful at the next level, regardless of scheme (in my humble opinion). Even if he runs an "unacceptable 40 time" at the combine, he can be a three down backer in any defense. There are always neurotic attacks on elite talents a la samurai mike, butkus, ray lewis, but for some reason their teams tend to be successful. I could care less what his triangle numbers equate to, I have seen him play, and he will not fail...

and I will gladly eat my words should I be mistaken

I hope we still consider picking him up. He'd be very valuable to a team like us, or the Donkeys. If he were there at 2a you'd almost have to jump on him IMO

Weatherspoon is a better prospect.

I hope he walks the drills, ends up with about a 5.2 and drops to our 2nd. 'cause I think he'd be the centerpiece of a 3-4 defense for the next 10 years.

If that happens...McLain news.......
 

Run Fast, or Die Hard Part 5.2

this

My backing of him is definitely contingent on him running a 4.55 or better at the combine and better on his proday.

If he runs a 4.7 or higher you wont see him in my sig and you wont see me add to conversations about him. Every site I go to has him listed as 4.5-4.55

No way in hell does he slip past the Chargers. Their ILB's are garbage.

He in no way shape or form will sniff running a 4.5, I'll eat my hat if he does.

So now your support comes with a caveat? That the only way you'll want him for the Chiefs now is if he runs a 4.5? Aaron Curry and Jerod Mayo didn't run a 4.5. (Both ran a 4.56 to be exact.) And they were both considered athletic freaks for their size. McClain is going to have to channel the ghosts of combines past and summon up Kawika Mitchell to run a 4.5 40, especially with his length and weight.

So, whose going to be in your sig on Tuesday?

Keith Rivers ran 4.5

Generally speaking for a LB to worth a top 10 pick he needs to be a clean prospect.

And Rivers was 225/230 when he ran it. Same for Mayo. Curry's time was damn near amazing for his combine weight of 256, and I can't see McClain running it anywhere close to that. It's not a particularly fast track (although Kerry Meier's 4.62 was a lot faster than I figured he would run - he looked really freaking good today - really big and ripped, with a full beard. That's got to be worth a couple rounds alone.), and if McClain comes in at anything under a 4.7, I'll be really impressed. A 4.5 is completely unfathomable for a guy of his size and length.

I'll be stunned if he breaks 4.7 which is why I don't think the Chiefs will take him.

Why do you say he fits a 4-3 better than 3-4?

I like McClain, but this is 100% correct, Mizzou homer or not, Weatherspoon is the ****in man!

He's saying that's what he'd play in a 4-3. He doesn't have the speed and penetration of a 4-3 ILB. (Darryl Washington, Pat Angerer from this draft class as examples.) And he'd be limited to the first two downs in a 4-3 as the SSOLB because he doesn't have superior cover skills of guys like Derrick Johnson and Aaron Curry when they came out of college.

Alright gotcha. My mind takes much longer to process information when I'm tired, if you can't tell

Of course it has a caveat. In college, linebackers can excel and run a damn 4.8, that same linebacker gets killed in the NFL and 4.7 is pretty close to the cutoff for very good to just good. In college games, his straight line speed isnt used as much as it likely will in the NFL and while I dont expect Pat Willis speed, I do expect above average speed size ratio. The only sites I frequent often concerning the draft have him listed as a projected 40 of 4.5-4.55, how off do you guys think that truly is?

Guess we'll find out today huh?

I hope he exceeds expectations and gets his 4.55
can you explain "clean" for me and Im sure a few others that cant recall the term being used. I think you mean the player has to have a clean history with the law and have certain minimums that must be acheived in speed, strength, quickness and other catergories to be considered that high?

I think this is what he means. That is what I kind of got from it.

That's basically what it is.

Heres a bombshell Im sure will go over well.

I would trade the pick right now, straight up, for Orakpo if I knew Berry and Clausen werent gonna be the picks for whatever reason.

Its gonna piss me off for quite some time that we arent gonna be looking for passrushers, he will be very very special.

Like I said, if he runs a 4.7 or below at his length and weight, I'll be impressed. I expect a 4.75 to a 4.85 in reality. Frankly, I don't give a shit about the 40 anyway. I'm more interested in the agility drills, particularly for guys like the linebackers. They only guys who ever come close to ever going in a straight line on the football field are receivers and defensive backs. The 40 at the combine is very misleading anyway as it's easy to train for and it doesn't translate to the field in pads. (Perfect example recently is Brandon Flowers. If the guy runs two tenths of a second faster, he's a mid-first round pick. I mean, really? Two-tenths of a second? It's not shit, and doesn't take into account instinct, hip and foot speed, etc.)

Holy shit!!!

Did you hear that Mecca?!

Time to get out your:

http://www.strangenewproducts.com/up...ush-727697.jpg

You should probably look at my new mock I did.

lol McClain is this years Curry and people are still trying to defend drafting him.

I did. I saw you came around on

http://images.art.com/images/PRODUCT...0/10102407.jpg

for the Raiders. I haven't checked out your edits since then though. I'll go peruse your picks right now.

He's nowhere near as athletic as Curry. He's a pure mike backer. Curry has the athleticism to play a lot of positions, though he's best suited for a SSOLB spot to take advantage of his ball and cover skills. Curry would waste a lot of his instincts and athleticism if he was to be inside at the MLB spot in a 3-4. Curry was a better version of Derrick Johnson.

McClain is this years Tyson Jackson. A safe, but unspectacular pick that will be a solid player who should have a chance to play in the league for a long time. He's a run plugger in a 3-4 and has enough athleticism and length to be a three down guy in a 3-4, but he's scheme limited IMO.

McClains indirect impact on the team is probably like 20% of my value for him.

He could be just what the doctor ordered for DJs career to absolutely take off.

DJ is a complete enigma. Personally, I think he's suffered from one too many Herm blowjobs and rays of sunshine being blown up his skirt. Derrick is going to have to motivate Derrick. If he can't see what trying and working hard does for you when he watches Tamba in practice and in the game, I don't think any external influence is going to motivate him. The coaching staff obviously tried to motivate him with little results.

The guy is infinitely talented. He just needs to realize that he needs to show the staff that he's the one that deserves being on the field as the starter by out working the other guys in practice.

pfffffffffffffffttttttttttt

Did you hear that? That's the sound of McClain's draft stock falling.

Not participating in the combine? Everyone knows it's a cop-out. Bad move by McClain. Bad, bad move.

McClain is becoming like the MLB's of last year, reasonable chance he falls into the 2nd round now not to mention he's less versatile than they were.

Would you draft him with the Chiefs first pick in the 2nd round?

Depends who else is there.

Spikes,Gilyard, Robinson, and a plethora of safeties.

Brandon Spikes probably isn't even going to go in the 2nd now...he's falling like a rock.

I said this a week ago, and people thought I was on crack.

There's a pretty good chance a bunch of LB's from his conference go ahead of him now..

I think it's a lock that Cheney and Riley are, McClain should, Spikes is getting into Micah Johnson territory.

those were from the 25th. Did ya beat me to it?

So does anyone realistically think McClain could be there w/ our first 2nd round pick? My goodness that would be an absolute steal.

No, because the Chiefs will take him at #5.

I don't. He will go to Denver if Dez Bryant is gone, and he won't get past a team like the Jets IMO if he falls that far.

I disagree with that...

It looks like Micah Johnson could be a good free agent pickup - 5.01 forty time. Wow. I can't believe some training staff couldn't get him under 5.

If you saw him run, you'd understand why: He was completely upright through his entire run and looked really stiff. If he had better technique, he probably would have been in the 4.9 range.

He's probably gonna be the Dannell Ellerbe of 2010.