I wanted to start this story off a little bit differently than the typical fashion that I normally begin with. Yesterday during the NFL Scouting Combine, Dexter McCluster was taking shots at our own Patrick Willis, McCluster's former teammate at Ole Miss.
McCluster had this to say when interviewing with 49ers web reporter Scott Kegley toward Patrick Willis:
"I have a little experience under my belt so I hope he's ready"
Ready for what? I am not exactly sure... But he also said this:
"When I first got there [Willis] always called me Baby Hester," McCluster recalled. "I remember one time in 7-on-7, he was pursuing me at an angle and I did a jab step, got underneath him and made him look silly.
and Willis had this to say in response on his Twitter page:
"Ha! Don't make me laugh. He picking the wrong guy. He better get in first and then play with those in his own league first". Lol.
Now, I know it's good to have confidence when you are coming in as a rookie, but really? Calling out arguably the best Inside Linebacker in the NFL? I didn't realize McCluster was suicidal... oh well, now on to the article...
McCluster played all four years while at Ole Miss but his first two primarily did the returns. In his final two years, he managed to rack up 2,969 Yards between receiving and rushing and that is not including his special teams return yards. There is a bit of question regarding Dexter McCluster's size at the next level and what kind of impact that will have on him at the next level. Some say he should stay at around the weight he is at and play wide out and others say he should pack on the pounds and stay at running back. At the Senior Bowl, the Ole Miss Running Back weighed in at 165 LBS. At the Combine, he had packed on 7 LBS and weighed in at 172. Either way, it should be ineresting to see how a team uses him at the next level. All I can say is, he better hope he gets drafted by a team that is not on the 49ers schedule this coming season.
Below, I will provide McCluster's stats, highlights, and projection on where he could end up in the draft.
Early in this video, you can see that McCluster does have some nifty moves. I think it is the second play when McCluster makes a creative move to make Tennessee's Strong Safety Eric Berry over pursue. Berry still recovers and ends up grabbing just enough of McCluster to bring him down but it showcases McCluster's ability to make exceptional players miss.
AWARDS AND HONORS:
- 2009 Running Back Trophy
- 2009 First Team All-SEC
CAREER STATS:
| Stats Overview | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||
| YEAR | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| 2006 | 8 | 68 | 8.5 | 31 | 1 | 15 | 232 | 15.5 | 49 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | 6 | 63 | 10.5 | 29 | 0 | 27 | 326 | 12.1 | 46 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2008 | 109 | 655 | 6.0 | 40 | 6 | 44 | 625 | 14.2 | 56 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 | 181 | 1169 | 6.5 | 86 | 8 | 44 | 520 | 11.8 | 64 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2009 Regular Season Game Log | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||||
| DATE | OPP | RESULT | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST | ||
| 9/6 | @Memphis | W 45-14 | 9 | 50 | 5.6 | 14 | 1 | 6 | 65 | 10.8 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9/19 | Southeastern Louisiana | W 52-6 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 48 | 16.0 | 35 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 9/24 | @South Carolina | L 16-10 | 15 | 85 | 5.7 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10/3 | @Vanderbilt | W 23-7 | 7 | 13 | 1.9 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 42 | 21.0 | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10/10 | Alabama | L 22-3 | 6 | 15 | 2.5 | 5 | 0 | 3 | 22 | 7.3 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10/17 | UAB | W 48-13 | 1 | 1 | 1.0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 21 | 10.5 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10/24 | Arkansas | W 30-17 | 22 | 123 | 5.6 | 19 | 0 | 7 | 137 | 19.6 | 64 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 10/31 | @Auburn | L 33-20 | 22 | 186 | 8.5 | 79 | 1 | 4 | 17 | 4.3 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11/7 | Northern Arizona | W 38-14 | Did Not Play or did not accumulate any stats. | |||||||||||||
| 11/14 | Tennessee | W 42-17 | 25 | 282 | 11.3 | 71 | 4 | 4 | 42 | 10.5 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11/21 | LSU | W 25-23 | 24 | 148 | 6.2 | 57 | 0 | 3 | 18 | 6.0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 11/28 | @Mississippi State | L 41-27 | 16 | 82 | 5.1 | 22 | 0 | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 52 | 1 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2009 Postseason Game Log | Rushing | Receiving | Fumbles | |||||||||||
| BOWL | OPP | RESULT | ATT | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | REC | YDS | AVG | LNG | TD | FUM | LST |
| AT&T COTTON BOWL | Oklahoma State | W 21-7 | 34 | 184 | 5.4 | 86 | 2 | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
SUMMARY AND PROJECTION:
Dexter McCluster will have a lot to prove when he gets to the next level. People on a continual basis say he is going to be too small and it may not stop even when he gets to the NFL. Player such as DeSean Jackson of the Philadelphia Eagles and Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers have had to overcome these same critique's through the course of their careers. He didn't have a horrible Combine and he didn't have a great one, alot of the scouts will be forced to go back and look at the film and McCluster will more than likely end up slotted near where he was slotted before the Combine.
Possibilities -- 2nd Round; Picks - 50-64, 3rd Round; Picks - 65-95.
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