Marcus McNeill

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Marcus McNeill

San Diego Chargers — No. 73
Left tackle
Date of birth: November 16, 1983 (1983-11-16) (age 24)
Place of birth: Chicago, Illinois
Height: 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)	Weight: 336 lb (152 kg)
National Football League debut
2006 for the San Diego Chargers
Career history
College: Auburn
NFL Draft: 2006 / Round: 2 / Pick: 50
Teams: San Diego Chargers (2006-present)
Career highlights and awards
2x Pro Bowl selection (2006, 2007) Offensive Rookie of the Month (September 2006) AP All-SEC 1st Team Selection (2004) Coaches All-SEC 1st Team Selection (2004)
Selected NFL statistics (through Week 17 of the 2007 NFL season)
Games played	32
Games started	32
Stats at NFL.com

Marcus McNeill (born November 16, 1983 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American football offensive tackle who currently plays in the NFL for the San Diego Chargers.

Contents 1 Early years 2 College career 3 NFL career 3.1 2006 NFL Draft 3.2 San Diego Chargers 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Early years

Attended Cedar Grove High School in Ellenwood, Georgia playing both offensive and defensive line for the Marching Saints^[1] earning SuperPrep All-American honors. Played in the Georgia-Florida High School All-Star Game as a senior. McNeill was also a standout track star finishing 2nd in the state in the shot put.^[2]

[edit] College career

McNeill played college football for the Auburn Tigers^[3]. He started 28 total games in his four years as a lineman. He blocked for future NFL running backs Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown, and allowed only one quarterback sack as a guard. In 2004, he was selected to the Coaches All-SEC First-team, the AP All-SEC First-team, and helped lead the Auburn Tigers to an undefeated 13-0 record.

[edit] NFL career

[edit] 2006 NFL Draft

McNeill was selected with the 50th overall pick in the 2nd round of the 2006 NFL Draft. McNeill worked out at D1 Sports Training in Nashville, TN prior to the NFL Draft. Despite a stellar college career at Auburn, many teams were worried about McNeill's injury history; namely having spinal stenosis or a narrowing of the spine and the fact that he did not do much weight training at Auburn. McNeill was unable to lift during pre-draft workouts due to a fractured right hand. Despite these obstacles, McNeill still impressed with his physically imposing size and 35 3/8" arms.^[4]

Pre-draft measureables
Weight	40 yd	20 ss	3-cone	Vert	BP	Wonderlic
336 lb (152 kg)*	5.10s*	5.00s*	8.19s*	31 in (78.7 cm)*[5]	X	X

(* represents NFL Combine)

[edit] San Diego Chargers

Despite being the seventh lineman selected in the 2006 draft and playing the majority of the season with broken hands, McNeill was voted a first alternate to the 2007 Pro Bowl and made the team after an injury to starter Willie Anderson. Commentator Len Pasquarelli of ESPN.com referred to him late in the 2006 season as "one of the elite left tackles" in the NFL^[6]. A rookie starter at left tackle for the entire season, McNeill was a crucial component of the offensive line that blocked for running back LaDainian Tomlinson as he established a number of single season offensive records ^[7]. The majority of Tomlinson's long gains came from running behind the left side of the offensive line, behind McNeill and guard Kris Dielman. McNeill was not called for a holding penalty in the 2006 season.

McNeill finished 4th in voting for the 2007 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year^[8], a remarkable finish for an offensive lineman. He was named the Offensive Rookie of the Month for September.

McNeill was named to his second consecutive Pro Bowl after Jonathan Ogden pulled out.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• AuburnTigers.com player bio