Packers get perfect first impression from rookie who could become huge piece of the future in the trenches
Defensive tackle Chris McClellan was a third-round pick, and the coaching staff has been impressed by how fast he can pick up the scheme and technique.
At this time of the year, it’s essentially impossible to fully evaluate young players. Until the pads come on after a couple of weeks in training camp, the front office and coaching staff just want to make sure that rookies learn how to learn, understand the practice process, and get ready for the part of the calendar that truly matters.
So far, though, third-round rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan couldn’t have left a better impression. After a couple of days in the rookie minicamp, the staff is excited about what the interior defensive lineman has shown.
“What we were able to do in two days from a technique, a scheme standpoint, he was picking it up, picking it up,” said defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase, “picking it up faster than I thought he would.”
During rookie minicamp, the Packers had only three interior defensive linemen in action. Besides McClellan, the group had practice squad holdovers Anthony Campbell and James Ester.
It’s a big man’s game
Part of the Packers’ appeal to draft Chris McClellan is his size. A 313-pound DT, the former Missouri defender has the ideal combination of ability to generate pressure and stop the run.
“That doesn’t mean smaller guys can’t play, specifically guys who can affect the passer,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said after the draft. “But I think you can get small in a hurry if you acquire too many of those guys. So sitting here right now with Javon [Hargrave] and D-Wy [Devonte Wyatt] and [Warren] Brinson, Stack [Nazir Stackhouse, Jonathan Ford, [Jordon] Riley when he gets healthy, and then McClellan that we just added, and Dani [Dennis-Sutton], who’s a pretty big edge guy as well, I’m feeling pretty good about our size right now.”
Pressure to take McClellan
Before the Packers could even make their first draft pick this year, four defensive tackles were already off the board: Peter Woods, Kayden McDonald, Christen Miller, and Lee Hunter. Later, the Denver Broncos took Tyler Onyedim. Even though there were some interior pieces like Domonique Orange, Darrell Jackson, Kaleb Proctor, and Gracen Halton available, the Packers believed that McClellan was a tier above all these players.
That’s why Gutekunst felt the need to move up, giving up a fifth-rounder to jump from pick No. 84 to 77 and secure him.
“When we didn’t take McClellan in the second round, and the way our board was falling, we knew that the big guys weren’t going to be there in numbers,” Gutekunst explained. “So we made the decision that we had to get him. That was probably the only time where I felt like, okay, if we don’t do this, we might not be able to add to the interior or add to an area we wanted to.”
Ultimately, their plan worked like the front office wanted, and Chris McClellan is a Packer. On the field, the early signs support that positive perception.
