Gang Green Nation
Over the next few months, we’ll be breaking down all undrafted free agents signed by the Jets. We continue today with a look at wide receiver Malik McClain.
The 23-year old McClain is listed at 6’4” and 195 pounds and was undrafted out of Arizona State. He caught a career-high 31 passes last year after also having spent time at Florida State and Penn State.
Background
McClain transferred to the prestigious IMG Academy for the final season of his high school career before heading to Florida State as a four-star recruit.
He had a promising freshman season that saw him start nine games and register 16 catches for 190 yards and two touchdowns to earn the FSU Newcomer of the Year award.
However, in 2022, his role didn’t develop as anticipated and he decided to enter the transfer portal after barely improving on the previous year’s numbers with 17 receptions, 206 yards and three scores.
He ended up at Penn State but again didn’t make as much impact as he hoped, ending the year with six catches for 71 yards and a score, so he once again entered the transfer portal.
McClain wasn’t getting any opportunities with Arizona State either, and had a few injury issues, so he opted to redshirt four games into the year, after having failed to record a catch.
However, he got an opportunity in the postseason when Jordyn Tyson got hurt and he was allowed to be activated without affecting his redshirt status. He had a 43-yard catch in the Big XII title game and a 42-yard touchdown catch on a gadget play in the team’s bowl game, although those were his only two catches of the season, on nine targets.
Returning for his redshirt senior year in 2025, McClain finally got some decent opportunities and had a breakout game with seven catches for 159 yards in an October loss to Houston. He ended the season with 31 catches for 441 yards and a touchdown.
McClain was not expected to be drafted and the Jets signed him to an undrafted free agent contract that included low guarantees, although it was the second-biggest guarantee that any of this year’s undrafted rookies got from the team.
Let’s move onto some more in-depth analysis of what McClain brings to the table, based on in-depth research and film study.
Measurables/Athleticism
McClain is tall with a big catch radius, but his listed weight of 195 is a concern because he would need to add to that. Encouragingly, he was up to 205 at his pro day.
His numbers at his pro day were excellent across the board, including a 4.47 in the 40-yard dash, 40-inch vertical and 136-inch broad jump. His agility numbers were also excellent and he posted 17 bench press reps.
Usage
McClain has primarily played as an outside receiver at the college level, typically lining up in the slot between 10 and 15 percent of the time.
He carried the ball once in college, for a six-yard...
