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BSD’s recruiting staff sat down for a roundtable on each prospect Penn State signed in the 2021 class. Coming in at No. 7 was three-star defensive end Rodney McGraw.
What makes you excited about Rodney McGraw?
“Tooooools. McGraw has the perfect frame to be a future stud at strong side defensive end. He’s already 6-foot-5, 255 pounds and could easily play at 270-plus. He’s only been playing football now for a handful of years and saw his production sky rocket from 2018 to 2019 to 2020. If you’re John Scott you have to be licking your lips here. He’s a ways away from being a finished product, but he reaches his potential, McGraw could be a game wrecker.” --Clay
What worries you about Rodney McGraw?
“McGraw added quite a bit of mass between his junior year and senior year, and I didn’t think it benefitted him all that much. I thought he looked more explosive as a junior, while as a senior, he came off stiff. It just wasn’t the natural progression I expected after seeing his junior year film, where I thought he’d look like a Top 250 prospect after another offseason. I’m willing to chalk up some of the stiffness and lack of “popping” athleticism due to an 18-year-old putting on mass too quickly, but it’s a concern nonetheless — especially considering McGraw needs to work on maintaining leverage too.” --Patrick
Do you think Rodney McGraw will be redshirted next season? Around what point of his career do you think he pushes for meaningful playing time?
“100%, yes. McGraw has all the tools needed to be a very good defensive end one day. Like, game wrecker terrorizing the quarterback good. That day, however, is 2-3 years down the road. While he is not as big of a project, think Bryce Mostella here.” --Marty
What do you think is the most realistic outcome for Rodney McGraw: depth provider, starter, multi-year starter, all-conference, or all-american?
Clay: All-Conference
Marty: All-Conference
Patrick: Starter
Lastly, where do you have Rodney McGraw ranked in Penn State’s class?
Clay: 5th
Marty: 6th
Patrick: 11th