#77 - Chris McClellan - DT - Missouri

[Joemailman]

Chris McClellan - DT - Missouri

• By Lance Zierlein NFL Analyst
  
  Draft Projection Rounds 4-5
  
  Overview
  
  Two-year starter who is solidly proportional with adequate length. McClellan is not a natural knee-bender, which limits his anchor, and he allows blockers too far into his frame too often. He has flashes where he can dominate a rep, but he will need to improve his take-on technique and hand usage to be more consistent. His first step is average and his pass rush isn’t overly explosive, but McClellan can pry open edges with strong hands. He plows through to collapse pockets once his foot is in the door and projects as a backup nose tackle in an even-front defense.
  
  Strengths
  • Has some of the biggest hands in the draft class.
  • Controlled the line of scrimmage against Texas A&M.
  • At his best when he punches and plays quickly off blocks.
  • Good reactive quickness in tackling his gaps.
  • Pries open rush edges with combative hands.
  • Powers through block redirection despite his lack of bend.
  • Nimble to finish the sack once he’s inside the pocket.
  Weaknesses
  • Inconsistent in punching, pressing and controlling the block.
  • Fails to reset hands and reclaim top positioning when needed.
  • Lacks knee-bend to anchor down against downhill double-teams.
  • Allows blockers to sustain and maintain for too long.
  • Below-average get-off into gaps and as a rusher.
  • Tall pad level diminishes effectiveness of counters.

[Joemailman]

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[George Cumby]

Someone, tell me how to feel.

[Joemailman]

Someone, tell me how to feel.

He's not a RAS stud, so some people should like that. Right?

[ThunderDan]

Don’t get it.

Our picks covered areas of need but not guys I have heard of or thought were worth where we picked them.

And as I am typing that the 49ers pick Black out of Indiana who people thought wouldn’t go until late in the draft.

[call_me_ishmael]

I love the size of this guy. Don’t know anything else about him. But it’s great to see some length and weight to these fellas.

[pbmax]

Someone, tell me how to feel.

ESPN model from experts had him at 108th on the board. Fans were drafting him at 117. So Packers jumped up and took him a round early, if you wish to believe ESPN, at pick 77.

He will be compared to Orange who was the more consensus pick at DT there.

Gute and the scouts and maybe the coaches loved him and paid extra to be sure.

[pbmax]

Cheesehead TV

Despite good size and speed, McClellan posted a poor RAS score due to below-average shuttle and three-cone times, making him less of the athlete Gutekunst typically targets — though clearly not a deal breaker.


Reviews are much more meh on this pick than Cisse. Gutey is seeing potential for growth here others didn't see on tape.

[Joemailman]

Cheesehead TV

Despite good size and speed, McClellan posted a poor RAS score due to below-average shuttle and three-cone times, making him less of the athlete Gutekunst typically targets — though clearly not a deal breaker.


Reviews are much more meh on this pick than Cisse. Gutey is seeing potential for growth here others didn't see on tape.

Gute clearly had him rated higher than the consensus. Had him clearly as the top guy on their board when they moved up to get him. With so many big guys skipping agility drills, his low scores may not have hurt him much.

[bobblehead]

ESPN model from experts had him at 108th on the board. Fans were drafting him at 117. So Packers jumped up and took him a round early, if you wish to believe ESPN, at pick 77.

He will be compared to Orange who was the more consensus pick at DT there.

Gute and the scouts and maybe the coaches loved him and paid extra to be sure.

Honestly, I like this pick, although I'm not sure it was worth the price to trade up. No idea if we had to or not, no one can know that. As Patler pointed out he isn't a RAS all star, just a hard nosed big bodied football player. The write up makes it sound like he doesn't have a great motor. Hard to say in a hilight reel, but he seems to like contact and playing football. I 100% like him better than Big Citrus though who has a cool nickname, but I'm not convinced he is very good at football.

What can I say, I don't totally hate this draft so far. Not saying I love it, but I haven't put a ton of time into looking at guys so what do I know. If it works out, we should trade our first round pick every year.

[Sparkey]

PFF :
McClellan wins more with power than athleticism, and that strength shows up against both the run and pass. He measured 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds with 34-inch arms, all above the 75th percentile at the position, which supports his projection as a run-game anchor. He earned a career-best 78.2 PFF grade in 2025, including a 75.2 run-defense grade and a 73.2 pass-rush mark.

[Fritz]

While I am entirely unsure how this text box appeared here after I couldn't find a way to sign in so that I could post, I'll just go with it for now. I - so far - cannot figure out how the site works, but I'll figure it out. I think.

Anyway, about McClellan - he apparently has problems with pad level, so he's a classic Packers pick in that regard. One thing we can say is that Guter wanted this guy, very specifically. He traded up to get him, and the guy was projected as an end-of-third-beginning-of-fourth-round pick - if Guter didn't love him quite so much he'd have sat tight and waited for it to come to him. So tracking his career versus anyone picked after him that would've interested the Packers (beyond Big Citrus) will tell us a lot about Guter's skills.

Now, if the guy ends up being nicknamed "General McClellan," we'll know he's all show and no go.

[Joemailman]

Rob Demovsky:

Round 3, No. 77: Chris McClellan, DT, Missouri


My take: Gutekunst gave new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon exactly what he needed with his first two picks. After taking a perimeter cornerback with his first pick, Gutekunst got the nose tackle Gannon will need as he transforms the Packers into a 3-4 base defensive front after playing a 4-3 during the past several years. It's reminiscent of what former GM Ted Thompson did the last time the Packers switched from a 4-3 to a 3-4, when he used his first two picks on nose tackle B.J. Raji and outside linebacker Clay Matthews in the 2009 draft.

What we're hearing about McClellan: It appears that need met opportunity with McClellan. Though the Packers weren't set on picking a nose tackle at this spot, it was perhaps their second-biggest need, behind cornerback, coming into the draft. "We got a lot better, and the fact that it filled a need is great," Packers director of football operations Milt Hendrickson said. Hendrickson said the more the Packers scouts watched Missouri this past season, the more they kept asking, "'Who's that guy?' It's one of those things that happens organically, but he just kept checking boxes and rose through the process."

[pbmax]

Honestly, I like this pick, although I'm not sure it was worth the price to trade up. No idea if we had to or not, no one can know that. As Patler pointed out he isn't a RAS all star, just a hard nosed big bodied football player. The write up makes it sound like he doesn't have a great motor. Hard to say in a hilight reel, but he seems to like contact and playing football. I 100% like him better than Big Citrus though who has a cool nickname, but I'm not convinced he is very good at football.

What can I say, I don't totally hate this draft so far. Not saying I love it, but I haven't put a ton of time into looking at guys so what do I know. If it works out, we should trade our first round pick every year.

From commentary and the Packer's own quotes, he was the last of the value grade nose tackles left on the board stout enough to play gap conscious football on the inside that they were truly interested in having. He has some athletic upside in size and length enough to perhaps allow for him to be a pass rush plus. The lack of 3 cone or short shuttle speed was at that point the least of concerns. Suspect that means they weren't high on Orange.

That's all just speculation about commentary though. We will see soon enough.

[Jaire]

Just an FYI, CItrus was likely off the board -- character concerns. I think Dane Brugler mentioned that when talking about the pick.