Blue White Illustrated

Three-star defensive end Rodney Mc- Graw is blessed with some innate physi- cal gi;s. The 6-foot-4, 250-pound defensive lineman already has an im- pressive physique. He's getting a further jump on his development by enrolling early at Penn State. But even with all of that size and strength, there are some drawbacks to his game at the moment. We'll get into what he will need to do in order to make himself a standout player at the college level, and how he can un- lock his potential. STRENGTHS FIRST STEP As with most Penn State defensive recruits, McGraw has an abundance of two things: length and speed. His initial steps o: of the line of scrimmage and his acceleration to the point of attack are impressive. Once he decides to go, he's gone. When you com- bine that with great thickness and power though his lower body, you begin to see that McGraw is a very well-rounded athlete with great potential. BULL RUSH AND POWER McGraw has done a great job of building up his body into a powerhouse. In fact, he's devel- oped quite an impressive bull rush that he did not have on his junior tape. This sort of high-end potential is the perfect pro8le for an underrated three-star prospect. McGraw is still 8guring out how to use his natural gi;s to his advantage. As he begins to develop in key areas, his strength will only be enhanced by his ability to use leverage and technique. FRAME The development from his jun- ior year of high school to his senior year erased most doubts about McGraw's ability to add and sustain lean mass. With his wingspan and early develop- ment, he has a chance to be one of the strongest and most complete defensive ends that Penn State has seen in some time. AREAS OF IMPROVEMENT FLEXIBILITY AND EDGE BEND McGraw is simply a very sti: athlete. He's built like an oak tree, but he also bends like one. That sort of sti:ness a:ects a player's ability to turn at high speeds and get to the QB. There is absolutely no bend to his movements, nor is there any cohesion in the movements between his upper and lower body. This sti:ness seems to be throughout his frame as well and not just in his hips or in his shoulders. That is a concern for his long-term development, because if he cannot unlock his considerable gi;s and use them on a consistent basis, they are not worth much on the 8eld. He will need to work consistently on this aspect of his athleticism in order to become the best version of himself going forward. HAND FIGHTING Aside from his issues with bending the corner to the quarter- back, McGraw doesn't always have a plan when attacking his blocker. He has not been taught many hand-8ghting techniques based on his 8lm and either wins with speed, raw power or both. To be a complete player at the next level, he will have to learn to use his length, speed and strength intentionally in order to win. Winning the point of contact with good hand-8ghting tech- niques is a hard skill to learn but one that he will have to master in order to excel. When he does that, he'll be a handful for blockers. PAD LEVEL Some players struggle with keeping a low pad level because they are underdeveloped in their lower body or because they aren't disciplined in their technique. McGraw is neither of these things, but his general sti:ness does prevent him from keeping a consistent pad level. When he keeps his center of gravity down, he dominates the blockers in front of him. His natural power and leverage take over and he becomes a dominant power player. It's also clear that it's something he works on, because he does have high- quality reps on 8lm where his get-o:, pad level and hand usage are all text- book. The challenge is going to be mak- ing sure that these things all happen on a play-by-play basis. POSITIONAL PROJECTION EDGE DEFENDER I'm not concerned with whether he's a strongside or weak- side defender. McGraw should be an asset against the run wherever he lines up, and his burst o: the edge gives him the versatility to 8t in at multiple posi- tions. If McGraw were going to just about any other team, I would be con- cerned about his long-term potential due to his considerable sti:ness. But Penn State has one of the best develop- ment programs in the country with Dwight Galt and his sta:. It will be on McGraw to put the work in and unlock his abilities. If he does that, Penn State will have yet another in a long line of fe- rocious edge rushers. ■ He will most likely play the strongside defensive end position at Penn State at between 265 and 270 pounds. Given a three-star rating by Rivals, McGraw could end up being the most underrated mem- ber of Penn State's class. He's still very raw in his development, but physically he is one of the most impressive of the in- coming freshmen. Even at 250 pounds, he looks skinny. He's learned to use his hands to shed blocks and is starting to understand leverage. He's extremely ath- letic for a player his size and has an explo- sive 8rst step that gives him an impressive outside pass rush. He was Penn State's No. 1 defensive end target in the Class of 2021, but I expect him to redshirt this coming fall. ■ S C O U T I N G R E P O R T B Y T H O M A S F R A N K C A R R S T R E N G T H S A R E A S O F D E V E L O P M E N T P O S I T I O N A L P R O J E C T I O N

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