SI All-American Candidate Jalen McCain Highlights and Evaluation

Jalen McCain is a cornerback prospect from Charles Herbert Flowers High School in Bowie, Md. McCain is an SI All-American Candidate.

Prospect: CB Jalen McCain
Projected Position: Cornerback
Status: SI All-American Candidate
Vitals: 5-foot-10, 178 pounds
School: Bowie (Md.) Charles Herbert Flowers
Committed to: Boston College 

Frame: Slightly undersized with great muscle build in the upper and lower half. Defined shoulders and midsection with little room to add mass down the line. 

Athleticism: Quicker than fast but runs relatively well in the open field. Short, power stride with explosiveness coming downhill. Can compete at the apex with ball skills and leaping ability. 

Instincts: Willing tackler who shows toughness in the box along with the outside-in aggressive approach. Anticipates well and diagnosis play call soon after the snap. Will take coverage risks with high football IQ. 

Polish: Comfortable in zone concepts with a good feel for bail technique and stacking with deep coverage. Willing to challenge at the LOS and play with a wide base and patient jam technique. Uses the sidelines and stacking against wideout on routine. 

Bottom Line: McCain has nickel traits and field corner techniques rolled into a compact frame. He is explosive enough to compete with bigger pass catchers at the line of scrimmage or at the high point. Physical enough to play the run or even serve as an occasional in-the-box presence. Throw in return ability and a sky-high football IQ and there won’t be much time in between arriving on campus and cracking the rotation.