Roger McCreary: Versatile skill set will mesh well in NFL with Titans

Roger McCreary was the third lowest ranked recruit from the 2018 Auburn recruiting class — but the 3-star undersized defensive back used that as motivation to become one of the top cornerbacks in the SEC last season — which led to the Tennessee Titans trading up to get into the second round to select the former Tigers’ star.

McCreary met with members of the Titans media via video conference shortly after getting the call that he was headed to Nashville. The Mobile, Ala. native shared keen insight into why he believes his skill set aligns with the vision Mike Vrabel and the formidable Tennessee defense has moving forward.

“I feel like I’m coming in and will do great with my skill set because I’m a corner that can play man, zone, we play a lot of zone and I can play that and I know I can can play the nickel too,” the former Auburn defensive back said.

It’s all about versatility according to Roger McCreary. The biggest knock heading into the 2022 NFL Draft was his size at 5-foot-11 and 178 pounds, but the former Auburn ball-hawk revealed keen insight into why the Titans were so aggressive in moving up to land him.

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“I can play anywhere in the secondary and can go out to corner and so I feel like it’s good that going into this system they want me to be able to play both positions and I’m happy and looking forward to playing both positions,” McCreary added.

As a senior, McCreary finished with 49 tackles, two tackles for loss, two interceptions and an SEC-best 14 passes broken up. He was a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award, he was named First Team All-SEC by the league’s coaches, and he became Auburn’s first All-American since Derrick Brown in 2019. He also earned an invitation to the Reese’s Senior Bowl.

While the Titans’ finished the 2021 NFL season with the No. 6 overall defense in the league, their passing defense ranked No. 25 and allowed just over 245 yards per game. They have a young, talented group of defensive backs to pair with their top corner, Kristian Fulton who was selected in the second round in 2020 but battled a hamstring injury last season that kept him off the field for more than half of the year.

With the addition of McCreary — who is viewed as a day one starter — the Titans now have depth and a defensive backs room loaded with young talent.

Why were the Titans so aggressive to land Roger McCreary?

Vrabel and the Titans’ brass have clearly been trying to solidify the secondary over the last few drafts and it looked like they struck gold when Virginia Tech star Caleb Farley fell to them late in the first round last year. Farley looked the part, but suffered an ACL injury that ended his rookie campaign in Week 6.

On paper, the Tennessee secondary — if fully healthy — looks young, versatile and has the potential to be dominant which would solidify the back end of Vrabel’s top-ranked defense.

As a two-year starter under Derek Mason’s mentorship at Auburn, McCreary thrived in the biggest moments. Most notably, in the memorable performance against Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase, and then against Alabama last season, where the college football world began to learn what the Tigers’ already knew.

In the first half half of the 2021 Iron Bowl, McCreary broke up three passes on the same drive, putting the college football world on notice. His play was instrumental in keeping the Crimson Tide off the scoreboard in the first half and he blanketed star WR Jameson Williams, who was selected No. 12 overall in the first round by the Detroit Lions.

NFL Draft expert Todd McShay tweeted about Roger McCreary “taking over” the 2021 Alabama game, where the Crimson Tide narrowly won in the fourth quarter.

Auburn CB McCreary is taking over this game. He has been lights out in man-to-man coverage.

— Todd McShay (@McShay13) November 27, 2021

Plenty of other analysts were high on the Auburn defensive back ahead of the draft.

“His film, for multiple seasons, was spectacular. Press work, recovery skill, change-of-direction brilliance, and vitally, tremendous ball skills were on display every Saturday – from his stellar work against Ja’Marr Chase in 2019 to the masterpiece of a ball game he had against Alabama in 2021, McCreary is genuinely a gamer with high-level traits,” CBS NFL Draft expert Chris Trapasso said of Roger McCreary.

“If he ran a tick faster and had arms a little longer, this would not be viewed as a controversial opinion. He gives me major Tre’Davious White vibes and will be a quality pro for a decade.”

The versatile former Tiger totaled 79 tackles, including 9.0 tackles for loss, and five interceptions at Auburn as a junior and senior. He received first-team All-SEC honors from the coaches for his efforts and appeared at the Reese’s Senior Bowl where he caught the eyes of NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks.

“McCreary is a stingy cover corner with a game ideally suited to play in a press-heavy scheme,” Brooks, who challenged other analysts that noted concerns about size and arm length while ranking the Auburn star as a top five cornerback for the 2022 NFL Draft. “He is an aggressive “bump-and-run” defender with the speed, quickness, and athleticism to shadow premier receivers at the line of scrimmage..

Coming out of high school, the NFL might have seemed like a longshot for McCreary. He was the 100th-ranked cornerback in the nation. The next level wasn’t even on his radar when he first got to Auburn and his only other power five offers were from NC State and Duke, along with schools like Tulane, Western Kentucky, South Alabama and UAB.

Now? It’s obvious the Titans’ — led by Vrabel who is considered a top defensive mind — believe Roger McCreary could be the missing piece needed to turn recent trips to the playoffs into a run for the Lombardi Trophy.