McCluster to me is an enigma. My gut reaction is to say that he can't be a rb in the NFL at 165 lbs. But the durability he showed doing exactly that in the SEC is impressive. The SEC is not the NFL but it's the closest in size and athleticism, especially on the defensive side. The fact is that he handled that just fine and actually was dominant. I would have said that at 165 lbs he couldn't do what he did in the SEC. Obviously, I would have been wrong. It would be foolish of me to make that same prediction about him in the NFL.
I read an article comparing him to DeSean Jackson, who (as this particular article stated) came into the NFL at 168. He is listed at 175 on ESPN's site. So who knows? Maybe he can put on several more pounds? The only real question is, if he does that, can he still retain his explosiveness. I do not expect anyone to question his toughness or durability because he has already proven that. He runs in the middle with moderate success. I am bias because he played at Ole Miss, but the guy is a player. I think with all of the questions about his size, he is just waiting for the opportunity to prove everyone wrong. And I would not be surprised if he succeeds in the NFL.
I think it's just so easy to get used to believing certain things. I think it has become incredibly obvious that the NFL is a passing league and yet I still see people argue tooth and nail that running and stopping the run should be our primary goal. Heck it was maybe 20 years ago that I argued with a Catholic priest who swore that sun revolved around the earth. LOL. Anyway, I used to scout players and there were just certain sized guys you didn't look at. I think that just like the run supporters and the priest above, scouts will take a while to accept that a guy like McCluster can be successful.
I think the biggest question scouts will have is, not his size necessarily, but whether or not he can take the beatings of the NFL at his size. There are many players who have played at 5'8", and some who have come in at 170. But to have both marginal size and weight inevitably raises red flags on the guy. I do not blame the scouts/teams for raising a hesitant eye, but in the end, the guy can help a team because he plays outstanding football. If he were any bigger, he might not be the player he is today. And also, looking at his running style, he knows how to take hits. He is slippery, and has (oddly), run over some folks. He is a smart player when it comes to that, but is not afraid of contact. I like that about him.
Well I just watched the Senior Bowl. McCluster looked decent but nothing that we need. Jared Odrick looked good as does Mike Iupati. But honestly of the 5 players mentioned here only Odrick is a player I can see us drafting.
