Following the 2021 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos signed Mac McCain, a cornerback from tiny North Carolina A&T as an undrafted free agent.
McCain joins a deep cornerback group, one in which the Broncos have placed a lot of focus on this offseason. With the additions of Patrick Surtain, Ronald Darby and Kyle Fuller, it will be easy to brush off a name like McCain, but he could be an under-the-radar player to watch this summer.
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 175
Born: Greensboro, North Carolina
School: North Carolina A&T
McCain’s size makes him a candidate to play on the inside as a nickel corner, as the league’s bigger receivers may be too much for him on the outside. But that may not necessarily be a bad thing, as he has the quickness and athleticism to succeed at nickel.
In college, McCain showed good ball skills and was a willing tackler. He can also be a playmaker with the ball in his hands, returning several interceptions for touchdowns during his time at NC A&T.
Many would have called him the best defensive back at the FCS level last year, so the Broncos may have claimed a future gem here.
However, the most interesting fact related to McCain has nothing to do with football at all. As discussed here, McCain’s grandfather made his mark on American history as being part of the ‘Greensboro Four” where he and three other men went to a Woolworth in North Carolina and sat in the whites-only lunch area to protest against the store’s segregationist rules.
That story is a must-read.
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Chances to make final roster (1-10 scale): 3
Named after his grandfather, Franklin McCain will be buried on a depth chart at cornerback to start the summer, but there are guys he could leap over.
The Broncos will have Surtain, Darby, Fuller, Bryce Callahan and Michael Ojemudia making the team. How many cornerbacks will the team keep? Probably at least one more.
It’s not a stretch to say that a strong summer could place McCain ahead of guys like Nate Hairston, Parnell Motley and Kevin Toliver, but the team does still have good young prospects in Essang Bassey (last year’s undrafted star) and seventh-round pick Kary Vincent.
The Broncos are strong at this position and while McCain may not make the team, he could grab a spot on the practice squad ahead of some of the other guys mentioned above.