by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Alabama Athletics.
The NFL Draft talk never ends and we here at Draft 412 will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars. From today until draft night 2024 we will bring you mocks, profiles, team needs, and everything else related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Alabama, Running Back, Jase McClellan
Name- Jase McClellan
Pos- RB
Team- Alabama
HT/WT- 5’11” 212 lbs.
Born- 6/25/2002
Home – Aledo, TX
McClellan was one of the nation’s top running backs in the state of Texas and a consensus 4-star prospect. He was selected to play in the Under Armour All-American game after compiling 6,468 yards and 122 touchdowns. After being an Oklahoma pledge for two seasons, he flipped his commitment to Alabama late in his senior year.
In his freshman season, he carved out a role in the Crimson Tide deep backfield while working on special teams. He ended the season with 245 yards on only 23 carries (10.7-avg) and 2 touchdowns, including one of 80 yards.
He only played in 5 games in his sophomore season before an injury to his lower leg cost him the season. McClellan was very productive in those 5 games with 3 receiving touchdowns, a rushing touchdown and a special teams touchdown on a blocked punt. His season ended with 191 yards on 40 attempts.
Last season, he returned to the field at full strength and rushed for 655 yards and 7 touchdowns and added 14 receptions for 174 yards and 3 more touchdowns.
So far in 2023, McClellan has 84 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown to go along with one reception for 12 yards.
He is a weapon in the passing game and can make a swing pass or a screen go for big chunks of yards. McClellan runs low and his first step is explosive when coming to the ball. He has superior vision and has patience to allow blocks to develop. He’s a willing pass blocker who understands blitzes and reads with a powerful lower body, excelling at short yardage plays and driving through arm tacklers.
On the downside, McClellan has good but not elite speed, and will have trouble separating from NFL defenders like he does in college. He is not a creative runner and is not one to change the hole he is scheduled to run through, though he does have the patience to wait for his blocks. In pass protection, he loves to use cut blocks on blitzers, leaving himself vulnerable to misses.
A good comparison to Jase McClellan is James Cook of the Buffalo Bills, who was also a part of a loaded SEC backfield at Georgia. McClellan and Cook are both good pass catching running backs who will make as much difference as a pass catcher as they will as a running back.
Strengths
Good vision
Patience
Pass catching
Routes
Weaknesses
Speed
Elusiveness
Creativity
Cut blocks
Final Analysis
Chances are Jase McClellan will not put up huge stats at Alabama due to the number of running backs and weapons, but Draft 412 sees him as a 3rd day steal for a team that uses him correctly.
Draft 412 Draft Prediction- 5th or 6th round