Micah McFadden NFL Draft Prospect Profile and Scouting Rep

NFL Prospect Profile: Micah McFadden, LB, Indiana

Name: Micah McFadden

School: Indiana

Year: Sr

Position: Linebacker

Measurables: 6’1 240

 

Stats: 

 

General Info:

McFadden attended Plant High School in Tampa, Florida. He lettered for three years in high school. Collected a program record 211 tackles as a high school senior. He was a First Team All-State as a Junior and Senior. The former Illini also had 14 sacks as a junior. He was a Two-star recruit via Rivals, Three-star recruit via 247 and ESPN. McFadden played in all 12 games in 2018. And collected a total of 20 tackles and five pressures. He became a starter as a Sophomore in 2019, starting 12 of the 13 games. He led the team in tackles with 61, 10 tackles for a loss, 31 pressures, 22 missed tackles, and two INTs. An Academic All-Big Ten, honorable mention All-Big Ten. A team captain in 2020 and 2021. As a junior in 2020 he started 7 games and played in all 8 at middle linebacker. McFadden again led the team with 58 tackles, 28 pressures, eight missed tackles, six sacks and 10.5 TFLs, and two INTs. A First-Team All-Big Ten and team Captain and won Indiana’s team MVP. He was ejected for targeting vs Cincy in 2021, shortly after the Indiana defense seemed to collapsed. He finished the season with 77 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss, 32 pressures, 16 missed tackles, 6.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles.

 

Positional Skills:

Strengths

First off McFadden is a fast and explosive athlete. His explosiveness really shows when he is rushing the passer, he looks like he was shot out of a cannon. McFadden can be a big hitter. He has a lot of experience blitzing and rushing the passer in Indiana's aggressive blitz happy scheme. He has developed some pass rush moves even, he has used a stutter step and a dip move to get past blockers. When he encounters a running back in the backfield rushing the passer he will usually just bulldoze the running back, and it works. McFadden will knock them on their backside. His motor is one of his greatest strengths, it runs 110 MPH 100% of the time. Versatile linebacker, he can play inside, outside, rush the passer or drop in coverage, and he has even taken snaps in the slot. When he has dropped in coverage it has mostly been zone and he has looked ok. when he has been in man coverage he looks like he could handle it fine. He has good smooth hips that allow him to flip his hips and run with a tight end down the field. McFadden can be a weapon as a cover-two linebacker. McFadden does show good instincts in the run game. He does a good job of reading the play and attacking the right gap. He presses the line of scrimmage and scrapes down until the RB declares his intention, then he hits the hole.

Weaknesses

He does not have a lot of experience in coverage, mostly due to IU's aggressive scheme that has him blitz a lot. He hardly has any snaps in man coverage. He is a little undersized though at 6'1 240 pounds, and his frame looks like it is maxed out. His length is also average. He will fall for double moves in coverage. Getting off blocks is his biggest weakness, mostly on offensive linemen. He either gets stuck or ends up on the ground. He also does not use his size to his advantage and attacks them too tall instead of using leverage. McFadden can be fooled with play action and misdirection. His aggressiveness can hurt him though and he ends up out of control and misses’ tackles, sacks, TFLs, etc…

 

Fit with the Packers:

McFadden would fit very well with Green Bay’s defense. He has the size, athleticism and skills to be a very good #2 ‘backer for the Packers. Experience in coverage isn’t there although that’s not his fault. He can gain that slowly by coming in a playing special teams as a rookie and getting some snaps here in there in obvious running downs early in the season until he gets more comfortable in coverage. It might take him a season or two to get there; coverage wise. He has the explosion and strength in his body to get off blocks, it’s his technique that is lacking. There is an old saying “you would rather coach a player to throttle down his aggressiveness than to teach one to up their aggressiveness”. This fits with McFadden and it’s not that he is overaggressive 100% of the time, there are just times when it can get him in trouble. The Florida native would be a great early day three pick. He has it in him to be a very high level defender in the NFL. If he clears that stuff up he can be great.

 

 

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Comments (14)

Fan-Friendly This filter will hide comments which have ratio of 5 to 1 down-vote to up-vote.
stockholder's picture

April 12, 2022 at 06:33 pm

Nice! Good Late Rd. Pick. Somebody has to replace Oren Burks. USE 1 pick only please..

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jannes bjornson's picture

April 13, 2022 at 10:04 am

Who replaces Summers?

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stockholder's picture

April 13, 2022 at 08:14 pm

I'd take Dean. But I still believe this team needs the right Wrs. -( The next 5 years will depend on it.) I already feel A.Rodgers is too short for Life after #12. He's a 5'9' guy. Not the mis-match I believe is needed.

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MooPack's picture

April 12, 2022 at 06:37 pm

Check out Troy Andersen. I think he is a ILB that is being overlooked. Sleeper to some. Bigger and more athletic than most of the higher rated LB's. High IQ, fast, explosive, with experience at QB and RB. I think that gives him an edge knowing tendencies on those positions. Would love to see him as a Packer. We have Campbell, which is great, and Barnes, but that's it. No depth. One injury and we are back to square one with LB play. The all time great defenses had two very good LB's. Personally I'd take him higher than he is being graded because of less experience at the position. I think that is a mistake. He is first and foremost a football player that will do what it takes at any position to succeed. Take him in the second and don't look back.

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MainePackFan's picture

April 12, 2022 at 07:00 pm

Moo, I don't believe he is being overlooked by anyone paying attention to this draft class. I have tried to get him in every mock. This kid does it all. You're right, he is the definition of football player. I see him as a big time special teams asset to start, with big time upside as he develops.

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BirdDogUni's picture

April 12, 2022 at 09:34 pm

Concur... I like Leo Chenal too. In fact, I'd like to see both of them as Packers.

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LLCHESTY's picture

April 13, 2022 at 08:36 am

Chenal seems like the perfect compliment to Campbell but I don't think Barry blitzes enough to take advantage of Chenal's best attribute. He seems like a guy Belichick would live and take earlier than most teams.

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BirdDogUni's picture

April 12, 2022 at 09:41 pm

Troy is just bigger and faster... ; )

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LLCHESTY's picture

April 13, 2022 at 08:26 am

Anderson's ability to run and throw the football would make him a great upback on 4th down sneaks. He's got a steep learning curve ahead of him at LB though after only playing there for two years.

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

April 13, 2022 at 03:17 am

Anderson was one of the top picks by the mockers for pick 132. Shows up just once at 140 and never again because he is off the boards.

He seems to have a high football IQ but not yet at the position he is going to play in the NFL. The system made his reads easy, from what I can tell.

So, given that mocks almost always seem a generous, Anderson probably gets drafted in the 3rd, somewhere in the 70s or 80s. He is crazy athletic, though. As a projection, I could see late 2nd if someone thought he could play in 2022.

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MainePackFan's picture

April 13, 2022 at 06:01 am

With his skill set I could see him being used on the offensive side of the ball in certain situations.

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bellarosie's picture

April 13, 2022 at 03:00 am

Great ratings!

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LLCHESTY's picture

April 13, 2022 at 08:32 am

I like McFadden as a late round pick. I think he probably goes in the 6th where the Packers don't have a pick though. A little undersized but that's NFL LBs today. Was above average on all his testing and his shuttle and 3-cone times point to him maybe in time not being a liability in coverage.

Height: 6'1″ (45th percentile)
Weight: 234 (41st)
Arm: 31.25 inches (23rd)
Hand: 9.5 inches (51st)
40-yard dash: 4.63 (64th)
Vertical: 35 inches (61st)
Broad: 9'10” (52nd)
Shuttle: 4.15 (86th)
Three-cone: 6.88 (87th)

I guess it depends on what you think they need. I would like them to find a backup to Campbell but I think bringing in competition for Barnes is probably more important.

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LambeauPlain's picture

April 13, 2022 at 10:33 am

CHTV Draft guide listed 30 ILBs and ranked McFadden last, at #30.

Packers need to get a replacement for Barnes in this draft and they will have many chances to do so. Many good, productive LBs in this draft. And while I would like to see one drafted in the 2nd round, they would also greatly improve the position in the 3rd or 4th rounds.

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