A 6-foot-4 wide receiver with a near-perfect Relative Athletic Score who finally broke out in a fifth college season at Arizona State.
Malik McClain's college path ran through Florida State, Penn State and Arizona State before he found consistent playing time as a redshirt senior. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft despite off-the-charts measurables and signed with the Jets, who are betting his size and athleticism can translate once his route tree catches up.
Path to the league
McClain began his career at Florida State in 2021, starting nine games as a true freshman and catching 16 passes for 190 yards and two touchdowns to earn the program's Newcomer of the Year award. He transferred to Penn State for 2023, playing in all 13 games but managing only six catches, then moved on to Arizona State, where he redshirted his first year before getting extended run in 2025.
Career highlights
McClain's best college season came in his redshirt senior year at Arizona State in 2025, when he caught 31 passes for 441 yards and a touchdown, including a career game of seven catches for 159 yards against Houston. At the combine and his pro day, he measured 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, and posted a reported 9.92 Relative Athletic Score.
2025 season recap
In his lone full season as a featured target, McClain caught a career-high 31 passes for 441 yards and one touchdown for Arizona State. He went undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and signed with the Jets in May 2026 as a size-and-athleticism developmental project at wide receiver.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Malik McClain
- ESPN: Malik McClain player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Wide Receiver
- Group
- offense
- College
- Arizona State
- Hometown
- Daphne, AL, USA
- Age
- 23
- Status
- active
