Trading up to draft Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan at No. 77 overall was a bold move by the Green Bay Packers. They already had the 84th pick in the draft, with higher-rated options like Iowa State's Domonique Orange still available. By consensus opinion, taking McClellan where Green Bay did was a significant reach.
Well, the Packers have their own prospect rankings, just like every other team. General manager Brian Gutekunst already looks smarter for trusting his gut.
“What we were able to do in two days from a technique, a scheme standpoint, he was picking it up, picking it up, picking it up faster than I thought he would," said D-line coach Vince Oghobaase of his rookie DT.
People in the Packers' building held McClellan in high esteem to begin with, but from the sound of it, he's wasted no time exceeding expectations.
Packers should have no regrets over bold investment in Chris McClellan
McClellan sat below Orange and others on most analysts' big boards. He earned a lower prospect grade. Not everyone had even heard of him. Meanwhile, Orange had his own nickname, Big Citrus.
The Packers nonetheless had plenty of reasons to prefer McClellan. He scored higher than Orange in both pass rush and run defense grades for Pro Football Focus. He was more productive on the field, racking up six sacks last season and eight tackles for loss. Orange had no sacks and 1.5 TFLs.
In the SEC, McClellan also faced a higher level of competition than that available on Iowa State's Big 12 schedule. That's to say nothing of whatever character or scheme strengths the Packers saw in him. Whereas Orange is essentially a run-stopper, McClellan has the versatility to play all over the defensive line.
For whatever reason, his name just didn't pop in mainstream analysis. When Gutekunst traded the 84th and 160th overall picks for McClellan, many wondered what he was thinking. Who? Where did he play? Why not Big Citrus?
Orange ended up going 82nd to Minnesota, five selections later. Now that fans have had a chance to find out more about McClellan, it's hard to quibble with the pick. Make what you will of a few days of rookie minicamp, but any skeptics still out there should hop on the wagon before it's too late.
The Packers had a clear need on the defensive line. At 6-foot-4 and 313 pounds, physically speaking, McClellan is better suited to clog up the middle than either Javon Hargrave or Devonte Wyatt. It only helps that he is still agile enough to supplement the pass rush, keeping him on the field more often for passing downs.
McClellan has a real chance to slide in as the starting nose tackle. If his quick grasp of the game is already blowing away his coaches, that opportunity could come sooner rather than later. Maybe trading up wasn't such a reach, after all.
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