Mekale McKay, WR, Cincinnati: 2016 NFL Draft Scouting Report

This wide receiver class doesn’t have a lot of elite talent to offer, but it is one of the deeper classes in recent memory.  You can go well into day three of the draft and find guys who have NFL ready skills.  These are guys who can help a team next year in the right situation.

One of those late round receiving prospects who could be drafted on day three is Mekale McKay.

Is there a situation where he could thrive in the NFL?  Perhaps, but someone will have to find a way to use his strengths and hide his weaknesses.

Strengths

McKay brings good size for an NFL receiver at a good 6’5.  This means he could easily be used as a red zone specific target if nothing else.  He also has decent speed to play on the outside as a traditional deep threat.  Guys who are this fast at this size don’t come around everyday.

Weaknesses

McKay does have really good size and decent speed, but he doesn’t really excel at anything.  He isn’t a burner who will create separation by simply out running defenders.  And while is size gives him a natural advantage, he doesn’t really go up high as well as you’d expect.  In a nut shell, McKay’s strengths really aren’t that strong.

McKay’s hands don’t look particularly great.  Even with his great size he won’t always come down with the jump ball due to smaller corners breaking his hand eye coordination.  Not a guy I would trust throwing to in a meaningful situation like third down or the end zone.  I wouldn’t trust McKay over the middle either as he doesn’t look any better in traffic.

While McKay is a big and fast kid, the physical gifts pretty much end there.  His balance looks below average and he looks pretty stiff in his movements overall.  He’s also a one speed type of runner, lacking the acceleration to create separation.  The most discouraging thing about McKay athletically is his strength and physicality.

Considering how big he is, McKay doe not handle contact at the line of scrimmage well.

Unfortunately, McKay doesn’t really bring anything to the special teams unit either.  He isn’t really elusive, so he won’t be making anyone miss as a return man.  I’ve already noted his less than impressive hands, so being on  hands team is obviously out as well.  Hard to keep a fifth wide receiver on the team when he doesn’t have any special teams value.

Overview

In terms of size and speed, McKay is a good looking prospect.  However, there is so much more to the position than just that.  He’s nothing special as a pass catcher and when he does make the catch he won’t be making anyone miss.

He just isn’t fast enough or strong enough to only have those two things going for him at the next level.  On top of everything else he brings no special teams value.  It’s hard for me to see him getting drafted and even harder for me to see him sticking with a team if someone does decide to take a chance on him.