The Green Bay Packers made a bold move in the 2026 NFL Draft, trading up in the third round to snag Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan at pick 77—and it's a pick that could pay serious dividends for their defensive interior.
McClellan is a grown man on the field, plain and simple. He plays with relentless energy, logs heavy snaps, and brings a well-rounded game that makes him a threat against both the run and the pass. At 6-foot-3 and 313 pounds, with impressive 34-inch arms and 11-inch hands, he's built like a brick wall. But what really stands out is his durability: he played in all 51 games he was eligible for during his college career, never missing a beat.
His journey to the NFL is a story of growth. A native of North Tulsa, Oklahoma, McClellan started his college career at Florida, where he only started one of 25 games before transferring to Missouri in 2024. The move wasn't about dissatisfaction—it was about opportunity. As Packers director of football operations Milt Hendrickson put it, "Everything was positive. It was more about the opportunity at Mizzou than he wasn't doing what they wanted him to be doing at Florida."
Once at Missouri, McClellan's game took off. His Pro Football Focus grades climbed every year against both the run and pass, peaking at 75.2 and 73.2 in 2025. His snap count also rose steadily, hitting 550 in his final season—proof that the coaching staff trusted him to stay on the field in key situations.
On the athletic front, McClellan posted a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 6.00, placing him in the 60th percentile among defensive tackles. He showed good speed and explosion numbers, though his agility scores raised some eyebrows. Interestingly, those agility marks aren't included in all draft guides, leading some analysts to believe his true athletic profile might be even better. If you remove the questionable agility scores, McClellan jumps to an 80th percentile athlete, drawing comparisons to Muhammad Wilkerson and Christian Wilkins—two names that should excite any Packers fan.
Hendrickson summed it up best: "He was a guy that has really checked a lot of boxes since the middle of the season, through the All-Star process." With his size, durability, and improving skillset, Chris McClellan looks ready to become a key piece of Green Bay's defensive puzzle for years to come.