Rolando McClain: Too Much Pressure?

June 7, 2010   ·   danny o'connor   ·   Jump to comments

We all know the beginning of the story: Rolando McClain was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the No. 8 pick in the NFL draft in April.  Since being drafted, McClain has been viewed by many as the savior of the Raiders defense, and in particular, the run defense. 
McClain will surely benefit the Raiders greatly, but how long will it be until we see him pay dividends?
I can remember four other Raiders who were drafted high and haven't yet shown us why they were drafted that high.  Michael Huff, JaMarcus Russell, Darren McFadden and Darrius Heyward-Bey were all thrown into the fire and struggled heavily.
McClain is expected to start as the middle linebacker, the anchor of the 4-3 defense.  He is the quarterback of the defense.  He was excellent at Alabama, but Darren McFadden was excellent at Arkansas.  The NFL is a new level.
McClain is being counted on to fix the run defense, call defensive plays and audibles, and bring in a champions...

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