Fantasy: Sophomore Spotlight – Rolando McClain

Rolando McClain was the standout linebacker prospect of the 2010 draft class, following an excellent three-year college career.  Selected 8^th overall by the Oakland Raiders, McClain averaged 91.3 tackles a year for the Alabama Crimson Tide, supplementing those numbers with 29.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and 5 interceptions. In 2009, McClain led the Crimson Tide’s defense to a National Championship, picking up the Butkus and Jack Lambert Awards along the way, a duel honor once replicated by Derrick Thomas, and more recently Patrick Willis and James Laurinaitis. What really set McClain apart though were his intangibles. An on the field leader with a high football IQ, McClain was visibly responsible for Alabama defense, helping lineman with their responsibilities and calling audibles.

Over the first six games of the season, McClain posted three negatively graded games; w2 vs. STL -2.0, w4 vs. HOU -2.6 and w6 @ SF -0.9, but then only one more over the rest of the year (w16 vs. IND -1.5). He clearly improved as the season went on, posting seven consecutive positively graded games between weeks 7-15, including a +5.6 performance in w12 against Miami. Finishing the year at +14.3 McClain was our #13 graded ILB, but his +16.3 grading in run coverage was even more impressive, ranking #6.

McClain proved himself to be pretty durable and reliable during the 2010 campaign. He saw the field for 100% of snaps in 13 games, and missed only 3 snaps in week 11. He suffered a hip pointer, knocking him out of the game in week 9 against Kansas City, but was graded +0.6 for his 22 snaps and attempts to shut down Jamaal Charles. He also missed the week 14 clash against Jacksonville with tendinitis in his foot.

The knock on McClain during his rookie season was that he wasn't making enough big plays. He only recorded 1 sack and 1 interception, but did generate 4 QB hits, 3 pressures and defensed 5 passes. Only asked to rush the passer on 77 snaps (8.1%), McClain caused disruption on only 10.3% of his blitzes. He was thrown at 57 times and allowed an average of 11.3 yards per reception, so will be tested again in 2011 you have to assume.

Although he also only recorded 87 total tackles (73 solo), an impressive 50 were stops, which was the 3^rd best stop:tackle ratio (57.74%) for ILBs playing over 50% of snaps. McClain did struggle to make tackles in the middle of the season, charting only a total of 10 through weeks 6-9, but then ended the year making 7.2 tackles a game over the final six games. He only recorded one double-digit tackle game in week 2, when he had 10 (8 solo). To take the next step in fantasy terms, McClain will need to live up to him form over those final six games.

The PFF IDP projection model ranks McClain as the #20 linebacker for 2011, and the IDP panel of myself, Jeff Ratcliffe and Kevin Greenstein all have very similar expectations, ranking him as the 18^th best LB option this season.

McClain is currently a second tier LB in IDP formats, but is more valuable in tackle-heavy leagues. He certainly has the potential to improve and it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if he surpasses 100 total tackles this year based on his final six games. His profile of missing a tackle every 14.7 attempts and stop:tackle ratio of just under 60% is very similar to fellow Lambert & Butkus Award winner, James Laurinaitis, not to mention being the young leader of a sack proficient defensive unit.  At only 21 years old he has also holds excellent Dynasty league value.