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As I wrote yesterday , draft fans are always looking for the “sleeper” candidate who their team can “steal” in the mid to late rounds. While in scouting circles there aren’t any real sleepers, some teams are going to grade some small school players higher than others. That being said, there will be an interesting small school receiver at the Combine this week who could be fun to watch.
McBride is a fourth-year junior and a three-year starter for William y and Mary. He has been a very productive player with 196 receptions for 2653 yards and 19 touchdowns. He also is an accomplished kick returner with 56 career kickoff returns for 1294 yards and 23 yards per return. His best year as a returner was in 2013 when he averaged 27.5 yards per return.
McBride is a good athlete with very good change of direction and overall body control. He is a smooth runner and has good flexibility in his hips. While he is supposed to be a “fast” guy, I don’t see that on tape. I would think he will run somewhere between 4.48 and 4.52 at the Combine. With his quickness and body control, he could put up some interesting numbers in the agility drills. To go along with his athleticism, McBride has very good size. He measured 6006 – 205 at the East-West game.
The strongest part of McBride’s game is his hands. He can catch the ball as well as any receiver in this draft. He also has outstanding ability to track and adjust to the ball. He makes a number of acrobatic receptions both in the open and in traffic.
McBride’s route running skills are good. He shows he can uncover versus both man and zone coverage. he is an alert player who has a good feel for zone coverage’s and can find the open seam. When playing against press coverage, he shows he can elude or work through a jam and get into his route. He uses both his speed and change of pace running to his advantage. He breaks down well into cuts and consistently gets separation against smaller school defensive backs.
McBride gets most of his production on shorter routes, but he can also get deep and has a good burst while underway to get to the ball. After the catch, McBride can be dangerous. He has top run instincts to go along with the quick feet and loose hips needed to make a defender miss. With his size and strength he is able to break arm tackles.
As a kick returner, McBride tracks the ball well and is a tough north-south runner. He has good vision to find a seam and the quick burst to break through it. He is not a dancer but more explosive. His return skills are such that he can be effective right away in the NFL.
Overall, McBride y is an interesting prospect. Like most FCS level players he will need a period of adjustment and development but he has upside and eventual starter talent. Like most skill players, his 40 will have a lot to do with where he gets drafted. If he can run in the mid 4.4’s his value will go up. If he runs in the 4.50 range than he most likely will be drafted around the 5th round.
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