Brian Billick’s Blog: LB COLIN MCCARTHY FROM “THE U”

Colin McCarthy is another in a long line of NFL prospects coming out of the U.  He played most of his career at Miami on the outside, but his skill set will translate better in the NFL on the inside.  I had the opportunity to watch him perform at the Sr. Bowl and he was surprisingly agile and quick making plays on the defensive side of the ball as well as special teams.  During the Sr. Bowl, Colin showed great instincts and an aggressive yet under control style of play.  He attacks the LOS and brings his hips well when making tackles.  He can improve on his backpedal and man technique in pass coverage, but he looks extremely comfortable in zone coverage and always has his head on a swivel.  Going into the combine, it was important for McCarthy to run a good 40-yard dash time and show explosion in the vertical jump.  He didn’t disappoint with a 4.65 dash and a 36.5″ vertical leap.  I believe Colin McCarthy can be an excellent special teams contributor from day one, and he will provide solid depth at the linebacker position.  He will challenge Quan Sturdivant (UNC) to be the 2nd middle backer to be selected in the draft - late 2nd round to 3rd round prospect.



(wnst.net)