Countdown: No. 6 Roger McCreary
AUBURN | The votes from our subscribers and moderators are in as we continue our Top 20 with a defensive back who has some very big shoes to fill.
NO. 6 ROGER MCCREARY
6-0, 188, Junior
Mobile, Ala.
VOTES: Jay G (10), BMatt (6), J Lee (12), Nate (2), Bunker (6)
Roger McCreary is aiming to do exactly what Carlton Davis, Jamel Dean and Noah Igbinoghene have done over the last five seasons: Excel as the No. 1 cornerback at Auburn and then move on to the NFL. McCreary, who served as the top backup to Igbinoghene and Javaris Davis last season, will now be tasked to matchup against the opponent’s top wide receiver and be one of the leaders of Auburn’s secondary.
McCreary has played in 21 games over the past two seasons starting for the first and only time at LSU last fall where he totaled a career-high 10 tackles and an interception at AU’s 2-yard line. He finished his sophomore campaign with 36 tackles, one tackle-for-loss and a team-high 11 pass breakups. PFF gave McCreary a 78.0 defensive rating and an 81.1 coverage rating, which both ranked second among the Tigers’ defensive backs last year.
WHY NO. 2 (Nate): According to Pro Football Focus, McCreary’s "pure coverage" grade on the season was an 81.1, which ranked in the top 35 out of 419 qualifying defensive backs in college football. He was a backup, a third cornerback on the depth chart, and that group included mostly starters.
There are few players on Auburn's roster that better prepared themselves to assume a starting role than the Mobile, Ala., product McCreary. Barring a bizarre turn of events in fall camp, he'll be Auburn's top cornerback, a position that's produced three quality NFL draft picks over the past three seasons, including first-round selection Noah Igbinoghene two months ago.
It's a big responsibility on Steele's defense — especially with the No. 2 cornerback spot up for grabs — but one we have no reason to believe McCreary isn't adequately prepared for.