On Tuesday, the San Francisco 49ers officially announced the signing of wide receiver and returner Ray-Ray McCloud to a two-year deal, news first reported last week. Following the announcement, the team made McCloud available to 49ers reporters for the first time.
Having just arrived at the facility, McCloud admitted that he doesn't have much insight into the 49ers' quarterback situation. The team still has Jimmy Garoppolo and Trey Lance on the roster but have been looking to trade the former.
"I know any quarterback that Coach [Kyle] Shanahan puts in place [can] win," McCloud said.
Below are some of the other topics that McCloud touched on during the nearly seven-minute Zoom discussion with the media.
What was the 49ers' sales pitch?
"Well, it certainly wasn't the taxes that brought me here," McCloud admitted. "Definitely, me and Deebo [Samuel] were very close before the NFL, honestly. The process of just watching Deebo, the plays he made here, the offense being a top-tier offense, my time being in the NFL watching the 49ers, Coach Shanahan's track record speaks for itself, and the plan that the organization just laid out for me from the special teams to the offense, and just me as a player, I thought it was a great opportunity."
What is your fit on offense?
"The offense itself is explosive," McCloud said. "I'm a playmaker. I'm explosive. I don't think there's a more explosive offense that puts the ball in players' hands in space than the Niners."
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Ball security concerns
McCloud has fumbled the football 11 times in his four NFL seasons. He believes that that's an area has improved, though, and will continue to improve.
"It clicked for me two years ago," he said. "Every year, [the goal] is to get better. It's not me being careless. It's more me being an aggressive runner and becoming [more] professional. That's part of the game. You've got to take care of the ball, and every year, I've gotten better and better. I just got to keep getting better."
He's willing to do whatever is asked of him
"I'm willing to do whatever Coach asks me to do," McCloud said when asked about his willingness to run choice routes. "Choice routes are definitely, even in the game itself, are definitely big, and I would love to be part of that."
Establishing himself as an NFL player
McCloud was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and then went to the Carolina Panthers before eventually landing with the Pittsburgh Steelers. What clicked for him in his previous NFL home?
"I think, in life itself, you go through growing pains," McCloud answered. "I came out of college early. Those were my growing pains, my first two years, just learning how to be professional off the field. On the field, I felt it was football, just slowing the game down for myself. But off the field, I felt, for me, was where I needed to grow at. I got a mentor in my life that came in my life and helped me change tremendously."
McCloud revealed that mentor to be former NFL cornerback Leonard Johnson, who serves as an assistant with the Bills. McCloud stayed with Johnson, who provided the young NFL player with books to read and helped him eat better and create a more structured schedule.
Mindset as a returner on special teams
"You've got to have a different mindset back there," McCloud said. "Honestly, I didn't start loving punt returning until I think sophomore year of college. [Clemson coach Dabo] Swinney kind of was on my butt about it. 'You can be the man back here if you start honing it in.' I'm like, 'Coach, I'm trying to play offense.'
"Special teams, the ball is in the air, looking up, you just grow a thrill back there, people running down, being able to control the game. Special teams, you only get one. It ain't like third down, second down, whatever the case may be. You get one chance to make a play, and it can change the whole atmosphere of the game.
"I think special teams, you've got to be a different animal. Even running down and tackling somebody, you've got to be a different animal."