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| McClellin was projected to make about $8.3 million on his four-year contract. (US Presswire) |
The Bears have announced they’ve signed first-round pick (No. 19 overall) Shea McClellin to a four-year contract, and as Mac’s Football Blog points out, the former Boise State linebacker’s deal is projected to be worth about $8.3 million.
NFLDraftScout.com’s Rob Rang declared McClellin one of the safer picks in the draft, and now that he’s in Chicago, he’ll get the chance to vie for a starting position on the opposite side of Julius Peppers.
In order to do that, McClellin would have to beat out Israel Idonije -- who, with 13 combined sacks, has had the best two seasons of his career in 2010 and 2011.
"(McClellin) is an all-downs football player, including special teams," Bears general manager Phil Emery said after the draft. "Our special teams coaches gave him a blue level (highest) grade as a special teams player. We are excited about him for several reasons: He's got really quick feet and hands as a pass rusher, he has natural hips as a pass rusher. In his role, his normal starting role at Boise, was as a (middle) linebacker and he would come down and rush on third down or in sub-package situations so there's a lot of versatility to this player."
Said McClellin recently, "To all the doubters, I'm going to have to go out there and prove myself. I'm used to that. I came from Boise State. We had to prove ourselves every week."
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