NFL Draft Profile: Zach McCloud, Edge Rusher, Miami Hurricanes

NFL draft profile scouting report for Miami Edge Rusher, Zach McCloud

The NFL Draft Bible | Jan 4, 2022

NFL Draft Profile: Zach McCloud, Edge Rusher, Miami Hurricanes /

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Miami (FL) Hurricanes

#53
Pos: EDGE
Ht: 6021v
Wt: 251v
Hand: 0948v
Arm: 3478v
Wing: 8138v
DOB: _/_/_
Eligibility: 2022
Lantana, FL
Santaluces High School

Zach McCloud Miami Hurricanes

One-Liner:

Zach McCloud shows promise as an edge rusher with athleticism, length and a high running motor. He will struggle as an off ball linebacker being completely lost with false steps and bad mental processing.

Pros:

Zach McCloud has a ton of experience as a 6th year senior starting in games since he was a true freshman. Played off ball linebacker from 2016 to 2020 and switched to edge in 2021. Best fit as an edge but has the versatility to play some off ball linebacker and zone drop into coverage. He displays good overall athletic ability with good COD, quickness, and acceleration. Good lateral agility and range to get down the LOS and makes positive plays in pursuit. Natural leverage as a pass rusher and shows good pop upon contact. Physical at the POA and explodes his hips into every hit and shows some good core strength and balance. Long arms and uses them well when pass rushing. He has a rip, swipe and speed to power move. He attacks with quick jabs and works off the OL leverage well when pass rushing. Solid bend and cornering to run the arc and get to the QB. Zone coverage is solid and gains depth to take away throwing lanes. Plays well when he doesn;t have to think and he can just fly downhill. Closing speed when gaining depth in zone is impressive. Very good competitive and physical toughness and plays with a high motor. Special teams is where he will make his money at the next level with his athleticism and physicality.

Cons:

McCloud struggles with the game mentality and is consistently late with his eye and mental processing. Poor overall at linebacker keying and diagnosing run concepts. Too much wasted movement and false steps. Eye discipline in man coverage is marginal and struggles to match with RB’s, WR’s, and TE’s. Struggles to get a jump off the ball and has below average upfield burst. Still raw as an edge defender and learning to pass rush with a plan. Struggles vs the run as an edge defender setting the edge. He displays below average gap discipline and gets displaced far too often. Needs work on learning how to throw his outside elbow back to flip his hips when rushing the passer. Undersized and will get bullied in the run game.

Summary:

Zach McCloud projects to be a developmental edge prospect at the next level. He wins off the edge with athletic ability, long arms, and physical toughness. He struggles to process run concepts and has some terrible tape as an off ball linebacker. Way too many false steps and unnecessary movement. Will make an impact on special teams.

Background:

Zach McCloud was a 4 star recruit as an outside linebacker and committed to Miami. He was ranked at the number 172 player according to ESPN and the number 11 outside linebacker nationwide. Started 11 of 13 games as a true freshman at linebacker. He had 37 total tackles this season with 3.5 tackles for loss with two pass breakups and 4 QB hurries. Made nine starts in 13 games as a true sophomore. He had 48 total tackle with 4.5 for loss and two of those being sacks. All seasons besides 2021 he played off ball linebacker. In 2018 he started 9 of 13 games with 44 tackles and 4.5 for loss. Very similar stats across his first 4 seasons. He made 1 start in 4 games in 2019 and this was a redshirt season. In 2020, he started 8 of 9 games and was one of four team captains. Played in 11 games in 2021 where he played in a heavy rotation of edge defenders and finished with 7.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks.