Processing / Game IQ
Pros:
•Carries out his fakes really well
•Gets out of his block with good timing to make himself available to the QB
•Great effort to make himself available in scramble drill
•Settles into soft spots in the zone
•Awareness for the sideline
Cons:
•Sometimes he needs to cut his routes off when going over the middle so he doesn’t get lit up by the safety
•Can be late to reach the second-level defender at times
Route Running / Catching
Pros:
•Shows solid tempo of his routes to throw off DBs timing
•Can sink his hips pretty well
•Displayed route running craftiness
•Can make some really tough catches through contact
•Shields the ball with his body in the air
•Can go up and snag one
•Is a good seam ripper the majority of the time
Cons:
•Jumps unnecessarily when going for the ball
•Can drift inside when on a seam route
•Slower than you would like getting out of his breaks
•Doesn’t have a press release and can struggle against more physical SAFs and LBs
•Turned his head early twice, which led to drops
•Had some really bad concentration drops
YAC / RAC Ability
Pros:
•Can rip off big chunks
•Gets upfield in a hurry
Cons:
•Lacks any true breakaway speed
•Goes down more often than not
Blocking
Pros:
•Used as a lead blocker
•Good initial punch and plays with low pad level
•Really good chop block he can bust out
•Gets to multiple blocks within the play and catches guys who are scraping along the LOS
•Really great effort
•Was used on crackdown blocks
•Good on combo blocks in pass coverage
•Can wash out edge defenders
•Executes split blocks well
•Hand technique is pretty solid
•Catches defenders trying to fire into gaps and drives them out
•Has displayed some really solid leg drive
•Can seal guys off to create lanes
Cons:
•Can take bad angles to his blocks in space
•Whiffs on his chip blocks at times
•Feet can lag behind occasionally
•Needs to keep inside leverage on split blocks
•Feet stop after contact, which leads to him getting pried open
•Really struggles in one-on-one pass protection against a true edge defender
•Inconsistent at the POA
Physicality
Pros:
•Not scared to put his nose in the play and get physical
•Got flipped and still held onto the ball
•Very physical overall
Cons:
•None
Athleticism / Frame
Pros:
•Average arm and hand size
•Average frame
•4.82 40 time is average
•Can weave through traffic with some wiggle
Cons:
•3.85 RAS Score
•31 ½” vertical and 9.03ft broad jump is pretty bad
•Lacks a lot of agility
•Definitely lacks breakaway speed
Versatility
Pros:
•Takes snaps in the slot
•Lined up at FB
•Even got split out wide
•Played at wing back
•Got motioned around a decent amount
Cons:
•None
Games Watched:
Week 1 vs MOST, Week 2 vs GASO, Week 5 vs ILL, Week 7 vs ND, Week 8 vs NEB, Week 9 vs NU
Ideal Situation:
•I was surprised by how well Lake McRee graded out and how solid he is on tape. For someone who I didn’t have high expectations for as he was a UDFA signing by the Steelers and doesn’t even show up on their depth chart on ESPN I didn’t expect much. McRee projects as an average-to-above-average floor and low-ceiling TE. He processes things quickly and plays well above his shoulders. In terms of route running nuance out of all the TEs who I have looked at this season (only 3) he is definitely the best. If he is actually that good you would have to ask our other scout Jack who has done the majority of the TE scouting reports for Diamond Prospects. He shows he can outleverage LBs and safeties with good tempo and craftiness. As a blocker, he is definitely strong. A little rough around the edges at times, but his physicality, grit, pad level, and leg drive make him a well-above-average bocker. I love his physicality and ability to go up for a ball, get laid out, and still hold on. McRee also provides plenty of versatility on the offensive side of the ball. Now the reason his ceiling is so low is because of glaring issues to his game. In terms of his athleticism, it definitely isn’t there. I am unsure if he adds another 5-10 pounds which he should if he will be able to move the same. On top of that, his ability to create and be a playmaker after the catch is also lacking. He struggles to break tackles consistently, juke, or have breakaway speed. McRee has also had 2 ACL tears in his young lifetime, one in high school and one in college. All in all I think he is a solid balanced prospect and can be solid on any team as a TE3 or practice squad TE. He was a UDFA signing by the Pittsburgh Steelers. It will be extremely hard and probably impossible for him to see snaps in this TE group. Which features Pat Freiermuth, Darnell Washington, and Robert Tonyan, who could all arguably start on any team.
Rating
•Processing / Game IQ – 8.0/10
•Route Running / Catching – 7.9/10
•YAC / RAC Ability – 5.7/10
•Blocking – 8.3/10
•Physicality – 8.4/10
•Athleticism / Frame – 6.0/10
•Versatility – 8.9/10
Total = 75.5/100 (C) Late 3rd Round or Early 4th
UDFAPittsburgh Steelers