It's far too early to say Raiders MLB Rolando McClain is a disappointment, but he's not making the impact the team hoped he would when it drafted him eighth overall this year. McClain was supposed to make the most noticeable difference in Oakland's run defense, which had long been a team weakness, but it's still ranked toward the bottom of the league through five games, and some observers have described McClain's play as tentative while others say he looks too slow. Speed was never the strength of McClain's game, but he was supposed to be able to make up for that with quick reactions and good instincts. The Raiders have done some shuffling at weak-side linebacker over the past few weeks and one observer speculated that the lack of stability around McClain could be somewhat of a factor in his performance. He hasn't forced a turnover yet, but his production has been solid when it comes to tackles, he has at least six in every game. Source: Pro Football Weekly
He's played pretty good so far I thought too. He's still only a rookie having to take over a defense and lead it. I imagine he'll just get better as the year progresses.
He's a rookie who's playing in a 4-3 defense after spending all of college in the 3-4. Nevermind that the dline in front of him is made up of a fellow rookie and a bunch of declining veterans. I think he's played decent so far and he can only get better with experience.
I think some of the raider people were expecting a patrick willis type rookie year....give the kid some time.
McClain was the guy I wanted if the Chiefs passed on Berry. Neither one has been great, but Berry has been very good against the run.
I didn't think he was tanking so far. Could he be better? Yeah. Expectations might have been too high though after being a high pick and after being a monster at Alabama.
