Auburn cornerback Roger McCreary is one of the tougher players under 200 pounds in the NFL draft this year.
Yet McCreary knows some people underestimate his size.
“A lot of people are like 189 – that’s small,” the 5-foot-11 player said of his weight. “But they don’t know that I love the weight room. I love benching. So I’m coming with a lot of energy and I can bring the pressure.”
McCreary bench-pressed 355 pounds as a 160-pound high school junior. He’s expecting to impress NFL scouts with his strength when he is required to lift 225 pounds at the NFL scouting combine.
“When I do 225, I’m going straight for 20 reps, that’s my goal,” he said.
Only one of the top 30 cornerbacks in last year’s draft lifted more than 20 repetitions of the 225-pound weight.
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Toughness is one of many traits that make McCreary a first-round draft prospect. ESPN analyst Mel Kiper rates him the No. 5 cornerback in the draft and is one of numerous analysts projecting him as a late first-round candidate.
The Buffalo Bills hold the No. 25 pick, and cornerback is one of their top needs if they lose impending free agent Levi Wallace to another team.
McCreary made first-team All-America and first-team Southeastern Conference after a senior season in which he ranked sixth nationally in passes defensed with 16. He finished his career with 135 tackles and six interceptions in 42 games.
“He plays with an edge, he plays with a chip on his shoulder,” said Jim Nagy, executive director of the Senior Bowl. “A great profile of that was the Iron Bowl game against Alabama. He competed his tail off, got his hands on a bunch of balls. He’s feisty. He’s a good reactionary athlete so he can match routes.”
Fluid arguably is the No. 1 descriptor of McCreary’s game – even before tough. He’s able to track the hip of the receiver he’s covering. He shows savvy in man coverage and in undercutting routes in zone coverage.
“Just bottom lining it,” Nagy says, “Can he cover or can't he cover? Yes, he can cover.”
The Bills like their cornerbacks to have long arms, in the 32-inch range. Tre’Davious White’s arms are 32 1/4 inches, especially long for a 5-11 player. McCreary’s arms are 30 1/2 inches, an average length. Taron Johnson’s are 30 7/8.
McCreary’s long speed will be interesting to see when he runs the 40-yard dash at the combine. He’s not a blazer. But his coverage skill gives him a very low bust factor in the draft.
Good tackling is a make-or-break trait for the Bills at cornerback.
McCreary also has experience against the best receivers in the country. He took his lumps early in his career playing against SEC stars like Davonta Smith (now with the Eagles) and Jaylen Waddle (now with the Dolphins). McCreary played great against the best SEC players as a senior.
“I was happy that my defensive coordinator, Kevin Steele, he threw me in the fire early my freshman year,” McCreary said. “I feel that helped me. I got to see how the game goes in college. As I got more experience, I knew what play was going to happen.”
McCreary watches games on Sundays and sees loads of players he has faced.
“Oh yes, seeing that, I feel like I’m going to do great in the NFL, too,” he said.
