Lake

McRee

McRee, 23, produced a career-best 30/450/4 receiving line as a redshirt senior last year, promisingly averaging 15.0 yards per reception. NFL’s Lance Zierlein and The Athletic’s Dane Brugler appreciate McRee’s toughness and fearless playing style as a receiver and blocker, but note that it can lead to unnecessary physical exposure. He tore his left ACL in high school, his right ACL in December 2023 and missed three games in 2024 due to a nonspecific left knee sprain. McRee stands 6’4/243 and ran a 4.79-second 40 at USC’s Pro Day. McRee has a chance to make an the Steelers’ roster but is unlikely to be relevant in fantasy.

McRee had been committed to Texas -- becoming an informal member of the class from July to February -- but his verbal now belongs to the Trojans. The 6-foot-4, 217-pound tight end has offers from schools like Auburn, LSU, Penn State, Purdue, and Washington; but was always considered likely to land with Southern California as soon as he backed off his commitment to the Longhorns. The 247Sports recruiting experts call McRee the 18th best player at the tight end position in the 2021 class, and the 62nd best player in the state of Texas.

McRee (6'5/215) sided with Texas over fellow finalist Texas A&M. The Longhorns had home field advantage with this one, as the three-star tight end currently resides in Austin. Rivals’ Sam Spiegelman refers to McRee as a “reliable pass-catcher,” one who “runs the field very well.” Spiegelman’s outlet does not currently offer a ranking for McRee in the 2021 class, but he still has his junior campaign and the subsequent offseason camp circuit to push up the board as his recruitment heats up (presuming his recruitment heats up) heading into the thick of the cycle.