Rolando McClain was the eighth overall pick by the Oakland Raiders in the 2010 NFL Draft, a selection that was intended to stabilize the middle of their defense.

"McClain has not just been disappointing by “former No. 8 overall pick” standards," wrote Andy Benoit of the New York Times in his season preview of the Raiders. "He’s been disappointing by “N.F.L. starter” standards. McClain is stiff in changing direction and offers a fairly lethargic burst in run defense. It doesn’t help that his football instincts come and go. And it certainly doesn’t help that he’s facing a possible 180-day prison sentence for assault and other chargers stemming from a fight in his hometown. 

"Regardless of what happens with McClain legally, Oakland will probably look closely at replacing him after this season."

But McClain showed something entirely different in the Raiders' Week 1 game against the Chargers.

"Rolando McClain really came to play against the Chargers," wrote John Breitenbach of Pro Football Focus. "He had perhaps the most dominant performance against the run of any linebacker in Week 1, even though the stat sheet reads just four stops. McClain made five tackles at or around the line of scrimmage and was equally adept shedding blocks and finding the ball carrier in traffic. He also generated a (joint) team-leading two QB hurries on just six rushes, and timed his blitzes well. The Alabama alum has a poor track record in coverage, so it is somewhat of a surprise that the Chargers didn’t look to test him more there.