Cal Bears NFL Draft Profile: Safety Stefan McClure

Cal’s Stefan McClure was once a highly-regarded young safety, but numerous serious injuries have put his football future in jeopardy.

As the 2016 NFL Draft approaches, Golden Gate Sports will profile some of the California Golden Bears’ potential draft picks. Everyone knows about quarterback Jared Goff, who declared for the draft a year early and will almost certainly be one of the first few players off the board when the 81st annual draft kicks off on April 28th. But the Bears, who finished 8-5 this past season and beat Air Force in the Armed Forces Bowl, have other intriguing prospects. The seventh profiled here is safety Stefan McClure.

McClure, the son of two former UNLV student-athletes, came out of Vista High School in Vista, California with a lot of hype around him as a cornerback. In his senior year, McClure was an All-America, his conference’s Defensive Most Valuable Player, and his county’s Defensive Player of the Year. A four-star prospect by both Scout and Rivals, McClure was recruited by a number of Pac-12 schools, including UCLA, Utah, and Washington, as well as Michigan, but decided on becoming a Golden Bear on January 27th, 2011.

McClure saw a lot of playing time in 2011 as a true freshman, playing in 11 games, including two starts, while recording an interception and a forced fumble. His season was cut short before the Holiday Bowl against the University of Texas because of a torn ACL. The injury kept him out for the entire 2012 season, for which McClure redshirted.

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In 2013, McClure returned to the field, and was named a Cal team captain, as voted on by his teammates. He started well, recording 30 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss in the first five games of the season, but suffered a torn meniscus that forced him out of the final seven games of the season.

McClure moved to safety for his redshirt junior season in 2014, and was voted captain again. In the fourth game of the season, McClure’s bad luck struck again, as he tore a quadricep. This time however, McClure missed just two games, returning for the last six contests of the year. In 10 games, he recorded 50 tackles, 1.5 for loss, an interception, and a recovered fumble.

In his fifth and final season, McClure played every game for the first time in his collegiate career, including Cal’s Armed Forces Bowl victory against Air Force. In 13 games, McClure made 61 stops, including 3.5 for loss, as well as three pass breakups, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery. He was named the Pac-12’s Defensive Player of the Week following Cal’s week five win against Washington State, when he recorded six tackles, his lone sack of the season, and scored a touchdown on a 45-yard fumble recovery.

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McClure’s leadership is unrivaled, as he is the only player in school history to serve as a captain for thee seasons. That wasn’t enough to keep him on the field, as he missed 25 of 49 possible games between 2011 and 2014. Those injuries turned McClure from a highly-touted defensive back prospect into a questionable NFL player.

During his five-year tenure at Cal, McClure improved greatly. He was a freshman getting a lot of playing time in 2011, and looked as such. As time moved on, he continued to improve his game, and the switch to safety was very beneficial. It allowed McClure to come up to the line of scrimmage and play against the run a lot more, which he proved to do very well. Even while adding bulk to play safety, pushing his 5’11” frame up to 205 pounds, he kept his speed, allowing him to stick with receivers in the pass game. In his final season, McClure formed a strong duo with fellow safety Damariay Drew.

A team drafting McClure this April would be a big stretch and a big risk. It wouldn’t be as surprising for a team to take a flyer on him later as an undrafted free agent. He has the ability to continue on with an NFL career, but hasn’t proven to be able to avoid the big injuries so far in his young career.

Next: Cal Bears Draft Profile: Jordan Rigsbee

Maybe the NFL isn’t for McClure, as he has also considered a career in broadcasting, and was a guest sideline reporter for the Pac-12 Network during Cal’s spring game. Either way, this young man’s determination and unwavering spirit will bring him success in whatever career path he chooses.

Here’s a highlight reel from McClure’s final season at Cal: