Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Chris McClellan may not play a ton of defensive snaps as a rookie, but he showed what he’s capable of against the Denver Broncos on Friday. The third-round pick’s impressive six total tackle performance in the second preseason game caught the attention of his head coach.
“I thought he flashed. I thought he did a lot of great things, just playing with the playstyle we’re looking for,” coach Matt LaFleur said Monday. “He showed some good burst getting after the quarterback. There was a play where he got out of the stack and almost took out Jaylin Simpson, but I like the effort running to the football. There’s certainly a lot of things he can improve upon as well, and we’ll get him coached up on those, but I do
think he’s a really good young, talented player.”
McClellan may not factor much into the Packers’ defensive line rotation this season when Devonte Wyatt and Javon Hargrave are healthy. However, Green Bay used a Day 2 pick on McClellan because his skill set as a pass rusher and run defender showed long-term upside that could pay off in the future.
For today’s film room, we are going to break down two of McClellan’s better plays in Denver.
First, we are taking a look at a pass rush rep McClellan had against the Broncos’ starting offense during the first quarter. He’s lined up as the 3-technique over left guard Ben Powers' outside shoulder. When you look at McClellan’s 6-foot-4, 313-pound frame, you would expect him to be tough to move but maybe not move as well as he does.
With his initial steps, it looks like McClellan is attacking through the B-gap, and Powers appears to think this as well. Then, McClellan plants his right foot into the ground and uses a club-swim move to gain inside leverage. Powers is not ready for this and loses his balance when he tries to reset his hands.
McClellan’s ability to quickly disengage allows him to use his speed to force Bo Nix into hurried checkdown to the running back for a two-yard loss. This play shows us that McClellan has tools to work with as a pass rusher, particularly how he can use his hands, footwork, lateral quickness, and upfield burst to generate pressure from the interior.
McClellan had three run tackles that resulted in a gain of 3 yards or less, including this tackle for loss.
This time, he’s the 1-technique lined up on the outside shoulder of the center. The Broncos are running the ball out of shotgun, and the right guard has the tough task of trying to execute a reach block on McClellan. It doesn’t work.
McClellan uses a quick first step to immediately get upfield. This prevents the guard from crossing McClellan’s face to beat him to the spot and get proper hand placement to control the block. You can see the lower-body strength McClellan has to anchor and not get washed out by the guard. This allows him to plug up the A-gap, then locate the ball to try and make a play on the ball carrier, which he does. Unfortunately for Denver’s Cody Schrader, every hole is covered by a Packer.
This play shows us that McClellan’s upfield burst is also a valuable asset as a run defender. It's too early to say for sure, but these clips showed the functional play strength of someone who can line up at nose tackle and the athleticism to kick out to the 3-tech. When you combine the two, you’ve got a potential three-down defensive tackle.
As LaFleur said, McClellan has plenty of room for improvement, but the initial returns look good. Now he just needs to keep developing and be ready for an opportunity.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers film room: Rookie DT Chris McClellan flashes vs. Broncos in preseason
