We have to talk about injuries and off-the-field stuff here. There's no avoiding it. In March of 2024, McAlister was arrested for aggravated assault after threatening someone with a gun. From the injury standpoint, in 2025, he dealt with a hamstring injury. In 2026, he had a knee scope (January), and in March, he sustained a Jones fracture in his foot while participating in his pro day workout. McAlister is a build-up speed receiver (4.56 40 time at pro day) who can look lumbering off the line at times. It's not a consistent problem with his immediate acceleration. He has solid upper-body strength to fight through physical coverage and negotiate press coverage. McAlister has a varied release package while highlighting his strong split release. He doesn't sink his hips at an outstanding level, but that is something that is common with bigger receivers. He does make up for this with strong footwork, which allows him to be passable on comebacks and curls. McAlister is a threat at all three levels of the field. He can handle the full route tree. He dominates on in-breaking routes (slants) with a quick first step and good use of his body to win these routes. He might lack the high-end acceleration off the line to consistently stack corners on vertical routes, but he has excellent ball tracking as he makes downfield targets look easy to haul in. McAlister has the size to be a red zone threat, but that will have to come via screens and crossers and not jump ball situations or fade routes. McAlister isn't a catch point winner at this stage, with only a 38.4% contested catch rate over the last two years. He's an excellent YAC/RAC threat with a strong lower half to break tackles and the strength to run through loose wraps after he builds up a head of steam while also deploying a deadly spin move. His final season missed tackles forced numbers do need some context, though. He piled up 11 of those 27 missed tackles forced against SMU and Iowa State. Those two programs couldn't tackle a player in the open field to save their lives. I'm not stating this to shade his numbers, but to illustrate how they can be somewhat faulty despite the fact that he is a strong YAC producer. McAlister's hands can be iffy at times. He has plenty of concentration drops on film and an 8.7% drop rate in college, but he also displays late and arrogant hands with some reps. Overall, I think he can clean up the drop issues over time.
by in Fantasy4 days ago