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Roger McCreary NFL Draft Profile
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Roger McCreary Scouting ReportMcCreary is a skilled athlete and a skilled player on top of that. The Tigers defender channels his athleticism with strong feet. With his footwork, he mirrors receivers well at the line. His feet are smooth and detailed but also have a fast tempo. Moreover, he adjusts that tempo, as well as his stride lengths, based on the situation. McCreary flashes solid awareness. The Auburn product has good route-recognition ability. He processes fairly quickly and peels off underneath routes to pick up players sneaking downfield. McCreary understands leverage and is able to pinch receivers close to the sideline. He also has the awareness to turn back inside when he sees receivers enter his blind spot. McCreary generally positions himself well in two-on-one situations, and his eyes help with that. He stays keyed in on the quarterback but can also shift his focus to the ball when it’s in the air. McCreary has great ball skills. He plays bigger than his frame and has shown he can track the ball and time his extensions accurately. He’s a terrific competitor and gives maximum effort when attacking the catch point. That physical playstyle shows up in all phases. The Auburn CB has shown he’s willing to lower his shoulder and square up against runners, as well as exact physicality on blockers. He’s combative against blocks, and he consistently fights to disengage. |
Areas for ImprovementThere’s a lot to like with McCreary, but there are also notable limitations. Most notably, his length is quantifiability below average, impacting him in several ways. McCreary’s length can be detrimental when trying to jam receivers at the line in press and when competing against larger receivers. It also somewhat limits his playmaking range when playing the ball and can impact his ability to wrap up as a tackler. On top of his length, there are also some imperfections with McCreary’s mobility profile. While he generally scores well in that department, his short strides prevent him from having elite long speed. Additionally, McCreary’s weight transfers breaking back to the ball can be smoother. He sometimes gets caught flat-footed and loses positioning. Expanding on positioning, the Tigers defender can occasionally be late to react to in-breaking routes, which gives too much cushion. Occasionally, he takes wider angles than ideal when reacting to inside breaks. There are instances where he reads and reacts to the QB’s eyes better and takes better pursuit angles to the football. He also sometimes overshoots tackling angles coming downhill in run support.
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Roger McCreary Career at SchoolFor a three-star kid from Alabama, the move to Auburn was a bit of an adjustment. McCreary switched from safety to cornerback and was mostly a reserve as a true freshman. He notched 5 total tackles but came back in 2019 with fairly little starting experience. That was set to change, however. McCreary put in arduous film work, honed his craft in practice, and emerged as a playmaker for Auburn’s defense. Even without a full-time starting role, McCreary managed to amass 36 tackles, an interception, 9 pass deflections, and a fumble recovery as a sophomore. That production helped earn him a starting job in 2020. He was a mainstay in the secondary as a junior, tacking on 3 more picks and 6 more deflections, as well as 7 tackles for loss. McCreary set a high bar for himself in 2019 and 2020, but 2021 would go on to be the Auburn CB’s most productive year yet. Starting all 12 games in the regular season, McCreary accumulated 49 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, a sack, 2 interceptions — including a pick-six — and 14 pass deflections. McCreary led the SEC conference in pass deflections as a senior. Thus, it was no surprise when he earned first-team All-SEC recognition among the conference’s postseason honors. |
Roger McCreary NFL Draft Player ProfileMcCreary has quietly been one of the most productive cornerbacks in college football over the past three seasons. Across that span, McCreary has 6 interceptions and 29 pass deflections to his name. Not only has he produced, but he’s proven he can do it from multiple spots. That versatility, among other things, will be key in securing McCreary’s stock. And he’ll get a chance to show it off at the Senior Bowl in early February. McCreary isn’t a perfect prospect, but he appears to have enough in his toolbox to win without elite length. That below-average length would theoretically cause problems in press coverage and at the catch point. But more often than not, McCreary has proven physical enough and adept enough with his timing to compensate.
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