Rolando McClain?

I thought McKillop was supposed to be the future TED since the coaching staff have been very high on him...even Wendstat (Pitt coach) said we got a steal in the 5th rd with this kid.

I think we will pass on McClain and take an OL or pass rusher with the second first...JMTC.

McClain is going to be a very good NFL player. He will be a first rounder, most likely a top 20 pick. The question is how much we are going to allocate in CAP space to the ILB position. Willis is going to command a huge amount of $$ when his contract expires in 2 years. We also must get a pass rushing WILL, assuming we are going to remain a 3-4 team. That need is far greater than another stud ILB.

Originally posted by nickbradley:

Originally posted by FunkNinerFlex:
We'll be great on 1st and 2nd down, but get shredded on 3rd downs. With possibly McKillop tying up blockers on the inside for Willis to make the tackles next year, I'll take the 2nd best pass rusher available over the top ILB available.

Why do you think that? If we're better on 1st and 2nd down, we'll have more managable 3rd downs (more 3rd and 7s than 3rd and 3s).

On third down, McClain and Willis can cover better than a 3-4 OLB...that means a tall, awkward 3-4 OLB pass rusher will come out of the game instead of our ILB.

What's the issue?

The issue is getting to the QB when it's 3rd down. I've seen too many times where an opposing QB sits in the pocket for 5 seconds and completes a pass for first down because there is no outside pressure. You can cover a teams WRs or RBs for only so long before the QB will finally hit the open man. We need outside pass rushers.

Think of the Baltimore Ravens SB 4-3 defense. They would kill you on 1st and 2nd down, then on 3rd down Peter Boulware would switch to DE from his LOLB spot and pressure the QB into a bad throw, force him into Sam Adams, or get a sack.

Also, since we do play a 3-4, most of the time the NT (Franklin) will come out and one the DEs will go inside while one of the OLBs will rush the passer from the outside. I really don't think Haralson and Lawson are the answer. Bill Parcells said it best, if you run a 3-4 defense, you better have a dominant OLB first, then a NT.

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
Very good player no doubt. However, drafting an ILB when the team has much greater needs on the OL, at OLB, and in the secondary makes no sense in my opinion. We are fine at ILB.

yeah i actually wouldn't mind drafting o-linemen with every pick. and that's coming from a guy that's formerly HATED the non-flashy picks.

Alabama coach Nick Saban has called junior linebacker Rolando McClain as smart a player as he’s ever coached. The 2009 Butkus Award winner might also be as well prepared a player as you’ll find in college football. Admittedly, he’s a film junkie and would rather watch film than just about anything. He estimates that he watches two or three hours a day during the season and sometimes more depending on how well he knows the opposing offense. He doesn’t discriminate, either. Even when his girlfriend is with him, they usually wind up watching film together. “She probably knows the offense better than some of my teammates,” McClain joked. “I don’t mind watching film. I don’t go out too much. I’m not a big party guy. I’m usually sitting at home watching film.” The irony is that McClain rarely watched any film in high school. He said former Alabama assistant Kevin Steele got him started in the film room. “Now, I watch film instead of watching TV,” said McClain, who leads the Crimson Tide with 101 tackles, including 12.5 for loss. - Chris Low, ESPN



I'm warming up the idea of drafting this guy

this is a real football player, and he is just going to get better and better with his passion for the game

Originally posted by Ninerjohn:
Very good player no doubt. However, drafting an ILB when the team has much greater needs on the OL, at OLB, and in the secondary makes no sense in my opinion. We are fine at ILB.

But we are only good at ILB as long as we have both Willis and Spikes.

When Spikes goes we do not want the position to degrade.

There are two potential replacements for Spikes in this draft, McClain and Spikes.

ILBs have a tendency to fall. Willis and Mayo were a bit of an exception because of their elite speed. If McClain can run ~4.6, then it'll really help his case to be drafted inside the first 20 picks; otherwise, I think he'll go later in the 1st.

IMO, McClain is a solid prospect and would be nice at TED, but he's not in Willis' and Mayo's class. I think David Harris was even a better prospect coming out and he was a 2nd rounder.

Originally posted by strickac:
ILBs have a tendency to fall. Willis and Mayo were a bit of an exception because of their elite speed. If McClain can run ~4.6, then it'll really help his case to be drafted inside the first 20 picks; otherwise, I think he'll go later in the 1st.

IMO, McClain is a solid prospect and would be nice at TED, but he's not in Willis' and Mayo's class. I think David Harris was even a better prospect coming out and he was a 2nd rounder.

True. Look at Cushing and Clay Matthews. Both were selected in the mid-teens and are Pro-Bowl Rookies.

There is no gaurentee that a LB will be drafted or signed in the first place. I for one would not be too discouraged to see the same crew come back again next year. Lawson and Brooks made good strides this year and might be the starts next season, Haralson as the third OLB is ok with me. Then you got Willis, Spikes and Mckillop in the middle.

I would love him on this team, we would need to have addressed O line though in the FA.

Drafting Rolando McClain would give the 49ers 2 of the top MLB in FB! Hell he could play outside as well. The cat is a stud