McLaughlin Shows Versatility

CAMBRIDGE — After being a standout linebacker for the Boston College Eagles over the past four years, two-time defensive captain Mike McLaughlin might have a promising future in the NFL.

It just might not be at the same position.

Since his appearance at the NFL Combine last month, McLaughlin has been working out as a long-snapper and a fullback, in addition to his regular spot at linebacker.

"The more I can do, the better," McLaughlin, the senior from Woburn, Mass., says.
Like his teammate Matt Tennant, McLaughlin has not stopped playing football since the Eagles' Emerald Bowl game in January. First, he earned a spot in the annual East-West Shrine Game, where he also found himself long snapping. Then, at the NFL Combine, McLaughlin continued to work out as a long-snapper, fullback, and linebacker.

"Between the East-West Shrine Game and then getting invited to the Combine, I thought it worked out pretty well there," he says. "[I] Showed them what I can do and showed them my athletic ability."

At BC's Pro Day on Thursday, McLaughlin continued to demonstrate his versatility to roughly 20 NFL scouts, while working out beside 12 other BC teammates, past and present. He said that while the Combine was a great experience, he was definitely more comfortable being around his teammates, while proving his worth to the scouts.

"I was as tight as can be at the Combine," McLaughlin says. "I was really nervous going in there. There's such great competition, just like today.

"There's a bunch of great football players, and I think today was a little bit calmer, a little bit more relaxed. You're in your comfort zone with your teammates. I'm going through drills with my buddy Brian Toal [former BC linebacker] … we had a good time and showed these guys what we can do."

McLaughlin's versatility has increased his value as a prospect, and it shows with the amount of attention he has been receiving from NFL teams.

"I've heard from probably 15 to 16 teams," McLaughlin says. "At the Combine, you get some real good exposure. I talked to a bunch of special teams coaches and a bunch of linebacker coaches. Some of them have followed up already in the past week or so, and I saw some today."

Although he played linebacker all four years as an Eagle, McLaughlin is not new to the fullback spot. At Woburn High School, McLaughlin was a standout fullback, accounting for 49 touchdowns and rushing for over 2,500 yards.

"If they want you to do it, you do it," McLaughlin says. "The more things you can do, you make yourself very valuable. So [in addition to] long snapping, I can play fullback, running back, [and] of course I played linebacker my whole career at BC."

When asked if he could learn to despise linebackers if a fullback position was in his future, McLaughlin just laughed.

McLaughlin is not completely new to long snapping, either. On top of his workouts at the Combine and Pro Day at the position, as well as his play as a long-snapper in the East-West Shrine Game, McLaughlin was also the backup long-snapper during some of his time at BC.

Teams also have to be impressed with the linebacker's willpower. After tearing his Achilles' during spring practice, McLaughlin battled back to start nine games and shore up a young linebacker corps that was already missing Mark Herzlich. McLaughlin registered 56 tackles, the third best on the team, in his abbreviated season.

Many draft experts currently project the BC star being selected in the sixth round of the NFL draft. Yet, this projection could improve based on his recent workouts as a multitalented athlete, especially as a valuable special teams player.

At 6-1 and 242 pounds, McLaughlin is now a little more than a month away from finding out the next step in his football career. It's been his willingness to be flexible and his all-around talent that has helped his dream to reach the NFL appear to be a realistic goal.

"There's always a dream, that's for sure," McLaughlin says. "It was always definitely something that, as a kid, I thought about every day, and this is really what I want to do, this is what I've always wanted to do. To be sitting here, getting invited to [the Combine] … I grew up watching the NFL Combine, thinking, ‘What an honor it would be to get invited to that,' and a week out, it's pretty cool looking back."

Regardless of what position he will be playing in the future, McLaughlin just wants to get to the NFL, and as he has showed over the past few months, he'll do whatever it takes to punch his ticket to the pros.

"The more versatile you are, the better chance you have to get on the 53-man roster, which is the ultimate goal."