LeRon McClain

The unheralded team captain's punishing lead-blocking ability was a major reason Alabama had success running the ball. McClain has been a punishing force clearing out the rush lanes, starting the final 19 games of his career for the Tide. Even though he has had only limited opportunities to carry the ball, he was tackled behind the line of scrimmage just once during his entire career. He also was a steady contributor on the Tide's punt-coverage unit. McClain was a Super All-State selection and rated the fourth-best prospect in Alabama by BorderWars, a college recruiting service. He helped Tuscaloosa County High School to a 9-4 record as a senior with 1,071 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 165 carries (6.5-yard average). He also had five receptions for 110 yards. As a junior, McClain rushed 135 times for 1,007 yards (7.5 avg) and 21 scores. As a starter on defense, he recorded 86 tackles, three sacks and one interception. McClain enrolled at Alabama in 2003, appearing in 11 games, missing two contests with a toe injury. He had only one carry for a one-yard gain and two receptions for 35 yards (17.5 avg), earning his first career start in the Kentucky clash. He started 5 of 12 games as a sophomore in 2004, gaining 66 yards with two touchdowns on 17 rushing attempts (3.9 avg). He also made eight catches for 55 yards (6.9 avg) and three scores. McClain started 10 of 12 games in 2005. He found the end zone twice and had 18 grabs for 140 yards (7.8 avg). He rushed eight times for 39 yards (4.9 avg) and recorded three solo tackles. McClain played all year with a meniscus tear in his left knee. The bruising blocker started all 13 contests in 2006. The senior collected 64 yards on 11 carries (5.8 avg) and registered 20 catches for 175 yards (8.8 avg) and three scores. He also came up with four tackles (three solo). In 48 games at Alabama, McClain started 29 times. He carried 37 times for 170 yards (4.6 avg) and two touchdowns, turning the ball over twice on three fumbles, but was tackled behind the line of scrimmage only once. He caught 48 passes for 405 yards (8.4 avg) and eight scores, finishing with 575 all-purpose yards. He also recorded eight tackles (six solo).

positives

Has a compactly built frame with very good muscle development and thickness in his lower body...Generates adequate initial quickness through the holes, keeping his pads down to clear out the running lanes...Has decent balance and body control adjusting to off-target passes...Effective locating the soft areas in the zone to settle under...More explosive your typical smashmouth drive blocker, but works hard to sustain the crease for the halfback...Has enough short-area quickness to come out of his stance and into his stride...Emotional team leader who takes well to hard coaching...Little stiff in his hips, but has enough wiggle to sometimes make the initial tackler miss...Good at planting and driving out of his breaks cleanly, showing the vision to locate the inside hole or slide out to the corner...Runs with a low center of gravity and keeps his legs churning with decent forward body lean to gain yardage on contact, but won't consistently push the pile...Good route runner who gets a clean release vs. the press by keeping his hands active to push off the defender...Has natural, soft hands, doing a good job of extending and plucking away from his frame...Shows adequate leaping ability to compete for jump balls...Does not have the timed speed to be a valid deep threat, but does a good job of looking the ball in and catching it over his outside shoulder...Showed much better leg drive in 2006 in attempts to clear out the rush lanes blocking between the tackles...Has developed better aggression and will face up and sustain well when picking up blitzers and edge rushers.

compares to

BRAD HOOVER, Carolina Panthers (Western Carolina)...Neither fullback will scare defenses as ball carriers, but both are effective north-south area drive blockers who compensate for a lack of speed with good moves to break free and settle underneath to be effective short-area outlet receivers.

negatives

Appears to be too thick around the midsection and the added girth causes him to struggle when trying to change direction; the additional bulk impedes his marginal timed speed...Struggles to digest the playbook and needs more than several reps to retain plays...Can uncover working inside the zone as a receiver, but needs to improve his field awareness, as he sometimes looks confused on the field (struggles to recognize stunts and coverages)...Has adequate initial quickness, but lacks the second gear to be a valid threat running into the second level...Too stiff in his hips and fails to generate the burst needed to turn the corner...More of a north-south runner, as he gathers too much in attempts to redirect...Good straight-line blocker when he keeps his pads down, but when he gets too erect in his stance, his feet tend to die in the hole and he lacks the ability to push the pile when his feet aren't churning...Lacks a good feel for the cutback lane and is a liability as a runner due to marginal timed speed and the inability to elude...Has decent ball security, but his three fumbles were the result of failing to shift the ball away from the closing defender...Sometimes relies on his low pad level too much trying to sustain the crease, as he will squat in the hole and bigger defenders are able to slip off his short-arm blocks...Needs to demonstrate better hand placement and punch to prevent defenders from avoiding his blocks).

2003: Sat out the Northern Illinois (9/20) and Arkansas (9/27) games with turf toe (right foot). 2005: Suffered a torn meniscus in his left knee (9/01) just two days prior to the season opener vs. Middle Tennessee, but did not miss any games.

Campus: 4.94 in the 40-yard dash

340-pound bench press

300-pound power clean

31-inch vertical jump

32 1/4-inch arm length

9 1/2-inch hands

Right-handed

Wears contacts

22/44 Wonderlic score.

Attended Tuscaloosa County (Northport, Ala.) High School, playing football for head coach Robert Higginbotham

Super All-State selection and rated the fourth-best prospect in Alabama by BorderWars, a college recruiting service

.Helped the team to a 9-4 record as a senior with 1,071 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns on 165 carries (6.5-yard average)

Also had five receptions for 110 yards

As a junior, McClain rushed 135 times for 1,007 yards (7.5 avg) and 21 scores

As a starter on defense, he recorded 86 tackles, three sacks and one interception.

Human Environmental Sciences major

Son of Gwen McClain and James Robinson

Born 12/27/84

Resides in Northport, Alabama.