Dexter McCluster Is Stealing The Show At The Senior Bowl

The Under Armour Senior Bowl showcases some of the top talent every year. There are always players who will help their stock rise, and then the unfortunate athletes who see their stock take a freefall.

Ole Miss speedster Dexter McCluster has been one of the biggest standouts at this years Senior Bowl. McCluster has been all over the practice field seeing work at both running back and wide receiver.

McCluster is willing to go out and contribute wherever a team sees him fitting in. Even he is unsure of what to call his position.

“I don’t know what to call it,” McCluster said. “Me and my dad joke around, I consider myself an offensive weapon. So just put me anywhere and I am going to give you everything I’ve got. Nine times out of 10, I won’t let them down.

“I can run the ball, I can catch the ball, I can punt return, kick return and just show my versatility and have fun doing it,” McCluster said. “I just want to let them know that aside of my size I am an overall player.”

The biggest concern surrounding McCluster is his size. He stands at 5-foot-8 and weighs in at 165 lbs. The running back doesn’t view his size as an obstacle, in fact, he embraces it.

I wish they would keep saying [I’m too small] because it just fuels my fire and I go out with a chip on my shoulder to prove I can do it and that’s why I go out here and work hard every day,” said McCluster.

“I just want to let them know that I don’t care how big you are; big, small, little, it doesn’t matter,” he added. “I am coming at you no matter what. You can see it in their eyes, waiting on me to make a move. But sometimes I want to surprise them and give them a little something so they have something to think about.”

McCluster has drawn comparison’s to both Chargers running back Darren Sproles and Jets running back Leon Washington. The comparisons come largely in part from their similar size and speed, however, McCluster is a much more polished receiver.

“It gives me a lot of hope just seeing those guys having success and knowing they dealt with some of the same things I am dealing with and they are still doing it,” McCluster said. “They are out there competing, going 110 miles an hour every game so that’s what I want to do to show that I can compete, I will compete and I won’t shy away from anything.”

Heading into the Senior Bowl, McCluster was viewed as a third-round pick, but if he continues this momentum throughout the Combine and Pro Days he will continue to rise.

McCluster says he hopes to run a 4.37 at the Scouting Combine.