Raekwon McMillan won’t shy away from a leadership role in the NFL

Raekwon McMillan is ready to continue the rich tradition of successful NFL linebackers out of Ohio State, following in the footsteps of Darron Lee, Ryan Shazier and John James Laurinatis. The Buckeye is just as focused on the work he does off the field, which will be a big draw for teams needing to clean up their reputation.

After enrolling early so he could participate in spring practice with the Buckeyes, the linebacker took snaps in all 15 games his freshman season — sometimes even seeing more playing time than the starters. McMillan finished his Ohio State career with 275 total tackles (136 solo), 10 passes defended, 6.0 sacks, along with two forced fumbles and an interception.

He won the Butkus Award for best linebacker in college and was named a finalist for the award after his sophomore campaign. McMillan also earned second-team All Big Ten honors in 2015 and second team All-American and first-team All Big Ten selection in 2016.

Measurements

Height: 6’2

Weight: 240 lbs

Hands: 9 3/4”

Arms: 33”

Media Interviews

The Buckeye spoke to the media ahead of his on-field workout, and he was asked how he’s selling himself — and his athleticism — to teams.

“I’m a captain at Ohio State. Everything we did on defense came through me and I can do the same thing for their program. I’ll never give you a reason to let me go from their team and I’ll always be a leader, never a follower.”

He was a very vocal leader for the Silver Bullets at Ohio State, and a big part of that is positioning his teammates ahead of the snap. This quality is critical if in an NFL defense, and McMillan was asked about his comfort level with that aspect of the game.

“Very comfortable. I did it the last three years at Ohio State with a very complex defense but yet simple at the same time with two different coaches on the back end. So I’m very comfortable with it. Coach Schiano brought a more NFL mentality. Coach Ash was a more conservative college football coach.”

He was also asked about the next man up at middle linebacker for the Buckeyes. While he didn’t know which young player would try and fill his shoes as the starter, he did have some high praise for incoming freshman Baron Browning.

“I recruited Baron. Every time he came on a visit he stayed with me. We talked a lot. I pretty much got him to come there... I think he was a little bit better than me coming out. a little faster, a little more agile.”

Workout Results

Bench press: 23 reps

40-yard dash: 4.61 sec* The third best times among the linebacker group.

Vertical jump: 33.0”

Broad jump: 121.0”

3 cone drill: 7.15 sec

20-yard shuttle: 4.39 sec

60-yard shuttle: 11.84 sec

Position drills:

*Top performer