Former Clemson wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud met with reporters this week for the first time as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
On Tuesday, the 49ers officially announced the signing of McCloud to a two-year deal, which was first reported last week, and he was made available to the media on Tuesday.
The former Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers and Pittsburgh Steelers receiver/return specialist explained what led to his decision to ink with the 49ers as a free agent.
“Well, it certainly wasn’t the taxes that brought me here,” McCloud said, smiling. “But definitely me and (49ers receiver/running back) Deebo (Samuel) were very close before the NFL, honestly. So, the process of just watching Deebo, the plays he made here, the offense being a top-tier offense, and my time being in the NFL watching the 49ers. Coach (Kyle) Shanahan’s track record speaks for itself, and the plan that the organization laid out for me from special teams to offense and just me as a player, I thought it was a great opportunity.”
Throughout his four-year NFL career, McCloud has played in 48 games (eight starts) and tallied 64 receptions for 390 yards while adding eight carries for 84 yards on offense. He also has recorded 72 kickoff returns for 1,614 yards (22.4 average) and 81 punt returns for 767 yards (9.5 average).
McCloud sees himself as a good fit for the 49ers, not only on special teams but offensively as well.
“The offense itself is explosive, and I’m a playmaker, I’m explosive,” he said, “and I don’t think there’s a more explosive offense that puts the ball in players’ hands in space like the Niners.”
Prior to playing for the Steelers from 2020-21, McCloud suited up for the Bills (2018) and Panthers (2019) after being selected by the Bills in the sixth round (187th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft following his career at Clemson (2015-17) during which he recorded 127 receptions for 1,226 yards and four receiving touchdowns.
Last season with the Steelers, McCloud appeared in 16 games (five starts) and finished with career highs in receptions (39) and receiving yards (277). He also added 35 kickoff returns for a career-high 776 yards (the third-most in the NFL in 2021) to go with 12 punt returns for 367 yards.
The Tampa, Fla., native was asked what clicked for him that allowed him to establish himself as an NFL player in Pittsburgh last season.
“I think in life itself, you go through growing pains, and I came out of college early and those were my growing pains my first two years — just learning how to be professional off the field,” he said. “On the field, I felt like it was football, just slowing the game down for myself. But off the field, I felt like it was for me where I needed to grow at. I got a mentor in my life that came in my life and helped me change tremendously, and when I found a home, I told myself I’m going to make this home, and that’s what it was.”
McCloud revealed that mentor to be Leonard Johnson, a former NFL cornerback who played with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New England Patriots, Panthers and Bills before finishing his career with the Arizona Cardinals.
Johnson, who now serves as a coaching assistant with the Bills, took McCloud under his wing after former Panthers defensive coordinator and current Bills head coach Sean McDermott pointed McCloud and his potential out to Johnson.
“He played with Coach McDermott at the Panthers, and when he came to coach, he came to Buffalo, and I guess McDermott had brought him in,” McCloud said. “Because when we met, he said McDermott said, ‘There’s a kid on my team that has a lot of potential, help him out,’ or whatever. And he kind of was watching me all camp, like training, and I’m like, ‘Who’s this dude that keeps watching me, he keeps eyeballing me?’
“He was just watching me, and then in the offseason, we actually ended up being, my house, 10 minutes away from him in Tampa and I stayed at his house the whole offseason… Life principles, giving me books to read, got me a schedule, proper structure. We were waking up at 5 in the morning just to go on walks to get our mind right, little things like that, and eating better. So, for me, I think that was a big turning point for me.”
It’s official ✍🏽 Blessed to be a 49er ‼️ can’t wait to get to work 🏆 #FTTB pic.twitter.com/S78p5pDPvF
— RayRay McCloud III (@RMIII_34) March 22, 2022
–Photo for this article courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
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