From undrafted to everyday player: Marquan McCall is playing at his very best
There was a time when Marquan McCall's NFL destiny wasn't assured. He went undrafted last year and signed with the Carolina Panthers to build a name for himself. Fast forward a year later, and McCall may just be starting come Week 1 of the NFL season — an achievement he has worked for his entire life. "It's […]
There was a time when Marquan McCall's NFL destiny wasn't assured.
He went undrafted last year and signed with the Carolina Panthers to build a name for himself. Fast forward a year later, and McCall may just be starting come Week 1 of the NFL season — an achievement he has worked for his entire life.
"It's definitely a blessing," McCall said during Monday's press conference. "But I try to tell myself to stay humble and just keep my head down and work like I was an undrafted rookie this year. That's my mindset."
In 2022, McCall appeared in 16 games for the Panthers. He had 15 tackles in 17% of total defensive snaps on the season.
McCall was the epitome of a role player for the Panthers, and after starting at nose tackle against the New York Jets, he wants to keep things simple if starting is in the cards in the 2023 season.
"(I'm) just being a team player," McCall said. "I don't look for the tackles and everything like that. I just want to fill my gap, and make sure Shaq and Uce or whoever's behind me makes the tackle."
The root of McCall's rise up the Panthers' depth chart is his unselfishness. He takes pride in making plays that don't result in a stat added to his tally but result in his teammates having an easier experience on the field making plays.
But that doesn't mean McCall has rested on his laurels. He has worked to improve his game in all facets, but most notably, he's worked on playing a more physical brand of football.
"I am just getting more in shape," McCall said. "I am playing with my hands more, even though I [still] gotta do that more. [I am] just being a pro football player and learning all the tactics."
Yet, in a turn of the cards, McCall is the pupil turn teacher. After one season in the league, he is already turning around a giving that knowledge to other younger players on the Panthers roster, who have asked him what is the critical element to success at the NFL level.
"I just try to give 'em what I have heard or what I have learned," McCall said. "I hope that plants the seed in their head and they get better."
But at the heart of McCall's success at the NFL level is a life philosophy of being available for those around him. And that extends to who he is off the field, just as much as his play and production when he is not playing.
"I consider myself the hype guy," he said. "I try to be a brother off the field. You never know what people going through in life. So, I try to focus on being that somebody for them, instead of just a teammate."
Whatever McCall calls it, it is clearly working.
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Feature image via Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports.
