Malik McClain wants to show Jets coaches he deserves a shot

Through the summer, we will be counting down the Jets roster player by player. We continue the series by discussing Malik McClain.

Name: Malik McClain

Number: 84

Year With Jets: 1st

Projected Role: Practice squad candidate

His 2025: McClain posted a career high 31 catches for 441 yards for Arizona State in his final collegiate season. He went undrafted and was signed by the Jets as part of the 90 man training camp roster.

2026 will be a success if: McClain can show enough in camp and the exhibition season to earn a practice squad spot.

Anything can happen, but serious contention for the active 53 man roster seems unlikely for McClain. His production was minimal in college. As noted above, 441 receiving yards his senior year was a career high.

McClain was a player signed purely on physical tools. He stands 6’4” and has decent timed speed. Everything else is a work in progress. He is raw as a route runner and didn’t show much matchup versatility in college. He was a guy who could run a decent but not great vertical route and not much else. He didn’t display much skill in the slot.

Maybe McClain is someone who will take to pro coaching, but at this point I think he faces an uphill battle even to make the practice squad. If he can, it will be a positive.

Odds of making the roster: Longshot (25%)