This UDFA profile is a bit more interesting to me than some of the others as former Eastern Michigan cornerback Kevin McGill and I were actually coached by the same man in college.
I played football at Drake University (FCS) early last decade when current Eastern Michigan head coach Chris Creighton was still there, so it’s funny to see Jim Nagy, the executive director of the Senior Bowl, mention him in the tweet below.
The incredible job HC Chris Creighton has done building the @emufb program doesn’t get talked about enough. Maxx Crosby got drafted last year and CB Kevin McGill (@imkevinjr_) could get picked in April. Fluid mover with good long speed and aggression. #TheDraftStartsInMOBILE pic.twitter.com/kK2E0AA72s
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) October 20, 2019
McGill is a native of Waldorf, Maryland and played his prep ball at Westlake High School. He was a member of the Maryland Small School All-State Team at wide receiver and was noted as a two-star prospect by the majority of scouting websites.
Wasting no time, the 6’0, 200-pound McGill saw starting snaps immediately at EMU, getting the nod for six games. He finished his freshman year with 34 tackles and three pass breakups. As a sophomore, he started 11 of 12 games and balanced a career-low in tackles (22) with a career-high in pass breakups (8) while picking off a single pass.
McGill’s best season at Eastern Michigan came as a junior when he started all 13 games that season. He posted high marks with 38 tackles, 2.5 tackles-for-loss, and three interceptions to go along with six more pass breakups. His efforts also earned him a selection to the All-MAC second team.
He capped off a productive career with a 30-tackle, five-pass breakup, single-interception campaign across 10 starts in 12 games. Even after start 40 of his 50 career games, McGill ended up going undrafted. However, he could have went to a much worse situation. The Chargers have a history of keeping undrafted defensive backs, with one being signed each of the last three years.
Y’all thought the MAC was done producing CB talent after Sean Bunting? Think again. Eastern Michigan CB Kevin McGill is the definition of lockdown. Lengthy, fluid, and has ball skills for days. His transitions are extremely efficient. He jumps out as the best player on the field. pic.twitter.com/3OK5e7Aq0e
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) June 4, 2019
McGill is a well-built corner who can provide the type of physicality necessary to re-route receivers and bully them off the line of scrimmage in a Cover 2 scheme. While the Chargers usually run a ton of Cover 3, they are making some adjustments to add in some Man coverage and two-deep looks to provide some needed variance against NFL offenses.
At times he can get beat by more physically-dominated receivers. He also may not have the pure deep speed to keep up with faster wideouts. He constantly played well off the line which also tells me he may be cheating off to protect himself from getting beat deep.
Out of the three defensive backs signed as UDFAs, McGill has the best chance to make this team. From what I’ve seen, he doesn’t provide anything to this team that Brandon Facyson or another depth corner doesn’t already so it’ll be a tall task for him to stand out. If anything, I expect McGill to be a stash on the practice as one of the team’s top developmental players at the position.