Grade: incomplete. That's the report card through Week 5 for rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan, who has not yet justified the Green Bay Packers' draft-day investment. It's been a rough go to start the season.
Of course, it's only been five games. He's a third-round rookie. Kid deserves a break.
Well, he's not going to get any slack now, not with veteran Javon Hargrave suffering a season-ending Achilles injury against the Chicago Bears – the Packers' second in as many games after losing star linebacker Edgerrin Cooper in Week 4. The defense needs some way to fill the void. McClellan would be a natural fit.
It's not like Hargrave was stuffing the stat sheet himself, but he provided the Packers' defensive front with a dependable presence. A majority of those reps should fall to McClellan. Consider his rookie introduction over. It's mid-term exam season.
Packers would love to give Chris McClellan a larger role
Of course, it's not like McClellan was simply hiding at the back of the class through his first five weeks. Moving around the defensive line between the three-technique and nose tackle spots, he's played 145 defensive snaps in all, including 30 against the Bears.
Week 4 in Tampa Bay was McClellan's most productive game of the year, in which he recorded three tackles despite taking the field for a season-low 38 percent of plays. All in all, Pro Football Focus credits him with five tackles and two total pressures. If he wants a larger role, he'll have to provide considerably more than that moving forward.
McClellan's 41.2 overall PFF grade ranks 120th out of 132. He's been a bit better against the run but has struggled to impact the pass rush. With Hargrave gone, the Packers will need McClellan to step up his contributions in both phases.
Right now, they don't have an abundance of other options. The depth chart is already missing Warren Brinson (injured reserve), and undrafted rookie Anthony Campbell has been banged up. He's appeared in one game all year.
Now there's no Hargrave, either, removing an additional 30-plus snaps per game.
If he can play up to par, McClellan's versatility as either an athletic nose tackle or a serviceable defensive end in a 3-4 front could be highly valuable. Starters Karl Brooks and Devonte Wyatt need an occasional breather. Green Bay also needs a backup nose tackle behind Jonathan Ford, who hasn't played all that well himself.
Campbell, who played nose in the preseason, has sat out since Week 3 with an ankle injury.
The opening is there, and the Packers need McClellan to take it. Whether he will is his question to answer.
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