A powerfully built defensive tackle who saved his best football for his final season at Missouri after starting his career at Florida.
Chris McClellan is a Tulsa, Oklahoma native who spent his first two college seasons at Florida before transferring to Missouri, where his play peaked in 2025. The Green Bay Packers traded up to draft him in the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, betting on his combination of interior power and athleticism.
Path to the league
A four-star recruit out of Owasso High School in Oklahoma with offers from Alabama, Ohio State, Oklahoma and others, McClellan signed with Florida and played there in 2022 and 2023 before transferring to Missouri. The Packers traded their original third-round pick along with a fifth-rounder to move up and select McClellan at No. 77 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft.
Career highlights
Over 51 college games at Florida and Missouri, McClellan totaled 133 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 11 quarterback hits and four pass breakups. At the 2026 NFL Combine he ran a 5.05-second 40-yard dash at 313 pounds, along with a 29.5-inch vertical jump and 25 bench-press reps, numbers that stood out for an interior defensive lineman.
2025 season recap
McClellan set career highs across the board in his final season at Missouri, recording 48 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks and six quarterback hits. He earned Second-team All-SEC honors and an SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week nod after a two-sack performance against Arkansas, production that helped convince Green Bay to trade up for him in the draft.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Chris McClellan (American football)
- Packers.com: Chris McClellan player page
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Defensive Tackle
- Group
- defense
- College
- Missouri
- Hometown
- Tulsa, OK, USA
- Age
- 22
- Status
- active
