The Las Vegas Raiders are looking to add some mass to the roster during the 2026 NFL draft, especially on the defensive line, given the significant need at nose tackle. Hence, former Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan was one of the first prospects in Las Vegas for a top-30 draft visit.

The 6-foot-4, 313-pounder could be an option for the Raiders at picks 102 or 117, ranking 116th overall with a fourth-round projection on NFL Mock Draft Databases’ consensus big board, as of April 15. That’s primarily due to his work as a run defender, posting a 75.2 run defense grade from Pro Football Focus and finishing tied for seventh among SEC defensive tackles with 19 ‘defensive stops’ against the run last season.

Additionally, while McClellan is still a work in progress as a pass-rusher, he has shown potential in that department by recording a career-high six sacks in 2025. He also had 21 pressures and a 73.2 PFF pass-rush grade, which were good enough to finish tied for 10th and fourth, respectively, at his position in the conference.

So, let’s flip on the tape and see what the former Tiger could bring to Las Vegas.

Nice rep by Chris McClellan:-Stands up the G and wins at the POA-Gets extension and peeks into A-gap-Escapes the block and makes tackle in B-gap when RB bounces#NFLDraft2026 pic.twitter.com/OuIV1blb4l

Missouri was primarily an even front team, so McClellan is more of a projection as a nose tackle in the base 3-4 defense the Raiders are planning on pivoting to this season. For context, he only lined up in the A-gap on 143 of 1,573 career snaps (9.1 percent) in college, per PFF, and that includes two years at Florida as well. But the former Gator has the size and traits to line up at nose tackle, with the clip above serving as an example.

He’s at the 3-tech spot in the Tigers’ under front as Texas A&M runs inside zone to the weakside of the formation, putting him on the frontside of the play call. While McClellan technically isn’t two-gapping since the WILL linebacker can account for the weakside A-gap, he plays with a similar technique as if he’s responsible for the A- and B-gaps.

At the point of attack, he’s quick to get his hands up and takes on the block with a wide base, allowing him to stand up and control the right guard. Then, the defensive tackle gets square on the guard and takes a peek into the A-gap to discourage the running back from attacking the interior rushing lane. When the back bounces outside, that’s where McClellan’s strength and length (34-inch arms) come into play, as he escapes the guard’s block to make the tackle right at the line of scrimmage.

Great job playing the down block by Chris McClellan:-Shifts his hands to the C and gets extension-Resets the LOS and penetrates backfield-Escapes block enough to get involved in tackle for short gain#NFLDraft2026 pic.twitter.com/ZYj19mT9bN

We’re getting closer to playing nose tackle, as this is one of the few reps the Missouri product had in the A-gap. Granted, he still isn’t lined up over the center and is in a 2i-technique, shaded on the guard, but that makes this play even more impressive.

Since McClellan is aligned on the left guard’s inside shoulder, his initial read or the offensive lineman he attacks first post-snap is the guard. However, since Oklahoma is running power to the other side of the formation, the guard pulls and vacates the area while the center down blocks on the backside defensive tackle. So, McClellan has to make a quick read and redirect his attention from the guard to the center.

The defensive lineman executes the assignment, shifting his hands to take on the down block. Then, his strength and length show up again, getting plenty of extension on the block and resetting the line of scrimmage to penetrate the backfield. Combined with the edge defender doing an excellent job of taking on the puller, the run is effectively stuffed and the running back has to dance in the backfield.

Now, McClellan can do a better job of disengaging from the center to make a TFL here, and he nearly overpursues the back. That turns a negative play into a positive gain for the offense. However, McClellan manages to escape enough to still get involved in the tackle a few yards past the line of scrimmage. So, there is some room for improvement on this rep, but that’s getting into nitpicky territory.

When Chris McClellan keeps his pads down, he has the size and strength to be a boulder vs combo blocks/double teams. Absorbs contact to stay in the B-gap and escapes to make the tackle near the LOS #NFLDraft2026 pic.twitter.com/c5ubHOXbfG

To be clear, the former Tiger is inconsistent with his pad level, which causes him issues against combo blocks or double teams. That’s going to be one of his biggest areas of improvement in the NFL, especially if he plays more nose tackle. But here’s an example of how effective he can be when he keeps his pads down, allowing the size and strength to shine.

This time, Missouri is in an over front, putting McClellan as the strongside 3-technique and on the playside of Oklahoma’s inverted option. The Sooners’ offensive line is executing a quarterback power call, where the left tackle and left guard combo block the 3-tech before working up to the second level to help create a rushing lane in the C-gap.

However, McClellan does a great job of staying low and maintaining a wide base to hold his ground and avoid getting washed inside, keeping the rushing lane narrow. Then, when the left tackle goes to block the linebacker, the defender is left one-on-one with the guard. So, when the quarterback tries to cut backside, McClellan wins the solo matchup by escaping the block to make another tackle at the line of scrimmage.

Again, he needs to be more consistent in this area to be an effective nose tackle, but a rep like this one is certainly encouraging.

Chris McClellan has upside as a pass-rusher, notching a career-high 6 sacks last season. He caught my eye with this swim move to get 1 of the 6 #NFLDraft2026 pic.twitter.com/xpFegmouFP

As the numbers above suggest, McClellan has upside as a pass-rusher, too. That’s likely a big part of the reason John Spytek is interested in him over other Day 3 interior defensive line prospects, as the 2025 second-team All-SEC performer showed off an impressive arm-over move that he can win with.