Why not Draft Dexter McCluster?
by ERL on Jan 28, 2010 2:53 PM EST
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For anyone paying attention to the Senior Bowl practices this week, you must have noticed this little 5'6" 165lb speedster out of Ole Miss...
Dexter McCluster impressed me, to say the least, in his bowl game against Oklahoma State. He had 184 rushing yards on 34 caries, including two impressive touchdown scampers, and he added 5 receptions for 45 yards. Dexter also went over 200 yards rushing against a solid Tennessee defense, averaging more than 11 yards per carry. See what Pat Kirwan from NFL.com had to say about the dynamic little playmaker:
"People who are hung up on measurables worry about his slight build, but his football performance on the field this week suggests he is a big-time gamebreaker. He's been the fastest player on the field all week and he makes plays. What was interesting to me was his ability to drop his shoulder and deliver a blow. He easily is a second-round pick for the team that sees him as a punt returner, slot receiver and occasional running back.
At Wednesday's practice, he caught a pass on a route out of the backfield and looked like a young Brian Westbrook. The Percy Harvin package that the Vikings run perfect for McCluster and I saw some DeSean Jackson traits in the passing game as well. Warrick Dunn was 180 pounds entering the NFL and he lasted a long time as a running back. This kid in a spread attack for a dome team can be a terror."
Sign me up, especially if we can get this guy with a third or fourth round pick. He can become our primary kick-returner while adding another compliment to our offense--someone who will take a short pass out of the backfield and outrun an NFL defense.
The skeptic in you might say "he sounds like Mike Goodson." And while I'd agree, you can never have too many weapons. And this guy CAN line up in the slot, as we speculated Goodson might due after he was drafted last April.
Watch the burst when he gets to midfield....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZNCPOMuXhA
Some of the highlights from his monster day against the Volunteers...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp3RL2s5BV0
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Very exciting prospect!
Where do you think he’ll go in the draft? Walterfootball has him pegged in the 3rd round, going #94 to the Saints.
That 71 yd TD was full of moves, speed, and despite his size, he loves to deliver a blow.
Here's Mike Mayocks assessment from the Senior Bowl
Dexter McCluster, Ole Miss RB/WR: "The guy that just really intrigues me is McCluster. I couldn’t wait to come down here and watch him. His toughness in the SEC, at the tailback position, blew me away at 165 pounds. Then he comes out here at receiver today, and double moves, catches the ball, plucks it out of the air. The two best catches of the day were his, and to me he’s an instant mismatch problem. I don’t care what you do with him, just put him on the field and he’ll make plays."
Great hands and speed…who’s to say this kid won’t light it up for us.
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
I think he'll go in the 3rd
similar to where Steve Slaton was drafted by Houston in 2008. He was an 1,000+ yard rusher as a rookie despite similar ‘build’ concerns.
I need a new 4th rounder...
And you could have just given me one.. in a way… He’s projected to go in the third, meanwhile Danario has slipped to a 4th or 5th on NFLDraftScout.com.
McCluster takes the 3rd, Alexander moves down to the 4th. Wonderful.
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
Would love to get him!
But I’m trying to decide between him and Jacoby Ford.:( Very hard descision.:(
One of South Africa's only Carolina Panthers and fans.
by chinchillas sword on Jan 28, 2010 6:02 PM EST reply actions
I dont know if we need another running back
jacoby ford would be a better choice because he returned in college, plays a position we need, and is a track star so we know he’ll have the electrifying speed we need.
besides what happened to being excited about Sutton and Goodson? did we already forget/give up on them?
+1
He is a very good prospect and explosive, but I have some questions as to his fit with the Panthers.
1. Can he really line up in the slot, beat the jam, run good routes, AND catch the ball? Most of the passes I saw him get were swing passes in the flat.
2. Can he really be an electric return man? If we are going to draft him with our 2nd round pick with our first intent on him returning kicks/punts, he needs to be as close to a lock as possible in that regard, a la Devin Hester. I did not see any kick/punt returns on the highlight film, although I have not watched them all, so that leaves a big question as to whether or not his speed, quicks, vision, and other skills will translate into a dynamic return man.
We need a player who will produce rather quickly with our 2nd round pick. So I have reservation about selecting him, assuming he is not available in the later rounds. If he is around in the 4th, go for him as a developmental prospect. I personally would rather draft a guy who is a WR/KR/PR like a Jacoby Ford or Trindon Holliday or even a Javier Arenas to stock pile our secondary.
Will Parker
by WillParker81 on Jan 29, 2010 9:30 PM EST up reply actions
His PR and KR record is nothing outstanding
Sparingly used with no great success in those areas (and not at all the last year):
Return
Season TEAM G PNTRET PNTYDS PNTTDS PNTLNG KRRET KRYDS KRTDS KRLNG
2006-07 Mississippi 6 0 0 0 0 13 274 0 39
2007-08 Mississippi 8 6 29 0 19 6 100 0 33
TOTAL
I think most hope would be..
That McCluster could play the slot. Sutton is a fine RB in my opinion and Goodson is a work in progress that may or may not develop into a receiving back.
I do agree Ford would also be a great choice. Never hurts to have options.
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
He looked pretty darn good on Tuesday running routes at the Senior Bowl
Look at the second route—what a move at the line.
He looks like hes got the speed for sure
and his routes were quick and precise, but I only got to see 2. i’d like to too see more from this kid. He’s listed at 5’8" so he actually will have a chance to play receiver. what would help is if we knew what we were going to do with Goodson. If we were going to move Goodson to slot then I wouldn’t really see a need to get this guy. but if not then Mcluster would be a great pick up
by pantherpride on Jan 29, 2010 3:11 PM EST up reply actions
Goodson will remain at tailback
behind Williams, Stewart, and perhaps Sutton. I think McCluster is more of a Percy Harvin type, so technically he’d be listed as a WR, but he’d lineup in the backfield at times as well. He also ran some Wildcat at Ole Miss.
My fear is that he’s not “our style” and Fox and Hurney won’t even look at him. I think the rich will get richer and some team with a bunch of weapons will get him…ie Arizona, Minn, Saints, Packers, Pats, Philly, etc.
Why would he be listed at WR?
He’s never played the position full time?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 30, 2010 8:18 PM EST up reply actions
wow
yeah…that crossing route he got like 3 full yards of seperation off the CB…thats exactly what i want out of a slot receiver.
by SouthernPanther on Feb 4, 2010 8:11 PM EST up reply actions
He weighs 160 lbs....
How many good hits until he gets broke? He had very good skills and speed no doubt…
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
I wonder how much we could bulk him up before the season began?
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
I don’t know how much bulk you can put on a 5’6" frame without losing some of that quickness.
Maybe 15-20 lbs… maybe… but he’s still be sub 200 lbs.
Even Chris Johnson is right at 200 lbs and he’s seen as slight.
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James Dator on Jan 29, 2010 12:06 AM EST up reply actions
So we can bank on him for 40% of the season?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 29, 2010 11:26 AM EST up reply actions
Or reduce his carries?
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Jan 29, 2010 4:31 PM EST up reply actions
I wouldn't draft him.
The best I could see him being at his frame is a kick/punt return specialist. Probably wouldn’t be a decent receiver either, he would have to have a QB to hit him in the chest with the ball. He isn’t going to win many WR vs DB scraps.
He’s interesting, but we already have a solid stable in Williams, Stewart, Sutton, and Goodson. We don’t need another running back. That’s how I see it anyway.
"Once again the trousers of evil are yanked down by the mocking hands of justice!"-Revshawn
Didn't we say the same thing about Smith at one point? ; )
I’d look at him in the third, we do need a scoring threat across from Smith, and if we haven’t drafted Tate, I’d take him in a heartbeat.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Jan 29, 2010 2:45 AM EST up reply actions
Smith came in at 180, now goes 185-190
The 20 lbs makes a difference…
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
Not exactly.
We didn’t have the depth in our WR corps that we do in our RBs now.
2000 WRs:
Muhammad
Hayes
Isaac Byrd
Iheanyi Uwaezuoke
Hankton.
Ugh.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 29, 2010 11:29 AM EST up reply actions
He probably couldn't outjump many DBs, true.
But he might work in the slot, in motion, where he couldn’t be bumped, on slants, a la Wes Welker. In space, in stride, he could make it happen.
But I think his ST return potential is very high, if he knows how to field punts, for example. The kid can see the field, and he can avoid obstacles trying to harm him.
I just think
this guy is electric. He’s gonna be one of those guys that goes in the 3rd or 4th round because of, well, the same things you are saying above, but then he proves he’s simply a football player. He’s a senior, seems to have a good head, and he is not a project. Too answer your durability/toughness questions, look at darren sproles…that’s who I see when I watch this guy.
Absolutely
If he has skill to be a late round ST player and KR, then I’m all for it.
Dante Hall was 5’8", 187 lbs
Cat Scratch Reader's resident optimist.
by James Dator on Jan 29, 2010 10:32 AM EST up reply actions
HUGE difference.
Sproles was 5-6, 187 coming out of college. 20 pounds on the same frame is a massive amount for a guy that small.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 29, 2010 11:35 AM EST up reply actions
Carrying a football into the endzone doesn't take that much strength.
It only weighs about a pound. Taking tackles from 300-pound NFL linemen does.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 29, 2010 1:50 PM EST up reply actions
Thank you that is my point. If you watch the highlight video
You will see that he catches balls and takes the majority of his hand-offs to the edge, where it is much easier to avoid taking shots like that. He has survived 4 years of the NFL Jr….SEC football.
Yeah, most of the Vandy starting lineup is ready to step right into the pros.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 30, 2010 8:19 PM EST up reply actions
Cherry picking the worst team in the conference really nets you points
Do you deny that the SEC is the most NFL like conference?
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Jan 31, 2010 3:21 AM EST up reply actions
I begrudgingly would at least call the SEC the best football conference
not sure about ‘most NFL-like’…I’d have to think about that
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
There's no such thing as "NFL-like."
Plenty of All-Conference guys in the SEC who can’t even make an NFL roster.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Feb 4, 2010 11:40 AM EST up reply actions
You know what I mean.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Feb 5, 2010 3:02 AM EST up reply actions
Just my take
The SEC is known to have the most athletic and biggest defenses in college. Plus McCluster did come out of a pro-style system at Ole Miss. His weight is a serious question, and getting hit in the SEC is different than having Chris Harris lower his shoulder pads on you coming across the middle. But, I think he is worth a chance, I feel like he could really excel at slot receiver and would be a great guy catching underneath cuts and turning 5 yard dumps in 15 yard gains.
by SouthernPanther on Feb 5, 2010 10:23 AM EST up reply actions
DUDE!
I saw a highlight of him he looks like Desean Jackson or Chris Johnson he’s fast!!!!!!
Also I watched some Golden Tate highlights he reminds me kinda like a cross of our Smitty the Gianst Steve Smith and Wes Welker.
One of South Africa's only Carolina Panthers and fans.
by chinchillas sword on Jan 29, 2010 2:26 PM EST reply actions
He does look alot like DeSean Jackson in the Senior Bowl video
He runs a deep route with a double-move and makes a diving catch, then makes a Smitty-like move on the line of scrimmage leaving a corner’s jock on the field. Mark it down: He will be special. I think the team that picks him up will get a great value. I see him being a 2000+ combined yardage type of guy (most of that being return yardage).
I point out his weight only from a stats point
not many 160 lb players in the NFL and there is a reason for that. Now I’m not saying the Panthers should give him a try, you never and he does have obscene skills
I blog the Carolina Panthers at www.catscratchreader.com
If we draft him..
I vote for ‘Run DMC’ as his nickname. Seen someone call’em that somewhere else and I like it :). Not to mention I just like Run DMC.
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
That nick name already went to Darren McFadden.
Will Parker
by WillParker81 on Jan 30, 2010 2:59 PM EST up reply actions
That sucks..
Though shouldn’t he be DMF? lol
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
What two letters does McFadden start with again?
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Jan 30, 2010 8:19 PM EST up reply actions
Fair point, though I was referring to the capital letters in his name.
Care to try another attempt to provoke? That one’s not going to work. Maybe you’ll have better luck with your other provoking comment above.
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
I think he did.
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Jan 31, 2010 3:22 AM EST up reply actions
Think he did what? Provoke? That would’ve warranted a few paragraphs in response :P
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
Nah, I was talking about me in another thread. :D
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Feb 1, 2010 1:39 AM EST up reply actions
Oh haha, my bad.
I’ve been doing my best to exercise my right to the “cancel” button on anything that may turn south that doesn’t involve me. lol
Sometimes I succeed, sometimes I fail.
Helpful reminder for James at seasons end: 2nd Rnd CSR Fan Draft Pick.
Who was provoking?
I was simply pointing out that it works just fine as a nickname.
Advance apologies if the contents of this sports-based post offended you. I'm just aiming to educate the masses. My law professor says they're asses.
by MichaelProcton on Feb 4, 2010 11:39 AM EST up reply actions
What did that add to conversation?
The early bird catches the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese.
by Flowing Willow on Feb 5, 2010 3:04 AM EST up reply actions
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