- The Michigan defense lost plenty of players to the NFL this past offseason, but one key member returns in senior linebacker Mike McCray. After not seeing the field in 2015, McCray played 722 of his 760 career snaps in 2016 and recorded an overall grade of 86.4 which ranks No. 3 among returning Big 10 linebackers.
- One area where the 6-foot-3, 248-pound McCray had success was in coverage, where his grade of 84.7 ranked No. 2 among returning Big 10 linebackers who played 200 or more snaps.
- McCray, when called upon, was also a very productive pass-rusher. As an inside linebacker on 84 pass-rushing snaps, McCray racked up five sacks, four QB hits and 13 hurries. That was good for a pass-rush productivity of 21.1 which is tied for No. 1 among returning Big 10 inside linebackers.
- McCray's game could improve in 2017 on his tackling efficiency. In 2016, McCray recorded 5.43 tackles per missed tackle attempt (13 on the year). If he's able to improve, it would be a huge boost for a Wolverines linebacker corps that returns 75 percent of their 2016 snaps.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.