While most of the focus from the NFL Scouting Combine has been on Golden Tate and Jimmy Clausen, safety Kyle McCarthy acquitted himself quite well in Indianapolis this week.
Among safeties at the Combine, McCarthy had the second highest bench press total, with 24 reps on 225-lbs, and while his forty-time didn’t blow anyone away, his quickness in the three-cone drill, 20-yard shuttle, and 60-yard shuttle were all among the top-three at his position.
McCarthy weighted in at 205 pounds and measured six-feet even, size that won’t wow anybody in the NFL. But McCarthy’s solid strength, as well as his above-average quickness, not to mention prolific numbers during his years at Notre Dame, lead you to believe that somebody will take a shot on him at the bottom of the draft.
“Speed is not his game,” Scott Wright of NFLDraftCountdown.com told the South Bend Tribune when talking about McCarthy. “What he’s going to have to sell himself as is a special teams player and a backup safety. I don’t think anyone is looking at him as a potential starter.”
McCarthy could very easily have one of those five-to-ten year NFL careers if he can find the right system and prove to be a prolific special teams player. He’ll also be a positive presence in the locker room, which can only help his draft stock.