It’s understandable why many Green Bay Packers fans questioned the selection of Chris McClellan in the draft. With Domonique Orange still available on the board—a player who had been a far more popular choice in mock drafts throughout the pre-draft process—the pick raised eyebrows. Orange wins on pure athleticism and run-stopping ability. Yet former Packers All-Pro fullback John Kuhn has delivered a compelling, inside-the-locker-room argument that is turning skeptics into believers: McClellan’s all-around game, particularly his interior pass-rush ability, could make him an immediate and transformative addition to the defensive front.
“He kind of gives you the Chris Jones feel, right?” Kuhn said. “Athletic enough to really bounce around the outside, stunts and loops with the defensive ends, and can really just muscle it up in the middle, pushing centers back. A lot of his tape is pushing centers and guards back into the lap of the quarterback, which is something that we absolutely need opposite of when Micah Parsons gets there.”
Kuhn is not alone in his excitement. His comments echo the rationale general manager Brian Gutekunst laid out immediately after the selection. Gutekunst praised McClellan’s versatility to play anywhere across the defensive line and highlighted a trait that many interior linemen simply lack: the ability to rush the passer effectively. “There’s a lot of these guys that don’t do that,” Gutekunst noted. He made the high selection with confidence, adding, “We wouldn’t have taken them this high if we didn’t think they could help us right away.”
The comparison to Chris Jones carries weight precisely because Kuhn stopped short of calling McClellan the next Jones. He said the Missouri product “kind of gives you the Chris Jones feel,” and the distinction matters. Jones is a seven-time Pro Bowler, three-time first-team All-Pro, three-time Super Bowl champion, and owner of 87.5 career sacks—including two seasons of 15.5 sacks. That is an extraordinarily high bar. Yet the stylistic parallels are unmistakable: the lateral quickness to loop and stunt, the raw power to dominate one-on-one against centers and guards, and the relentless ability to collapse the pocket from the inside.
That interior disruption is exactly what Green Bay desperately needed. Last season the Packers’ defensive line was repeatedly pushed around and bullied, especially once Devonte Wyatt went down with an injury. Run defense suffered, and the unit lacked any consistent interior pass rush to complement the edge pressure. McClellan arrives with credentials that address both issues head-on. In his final college season he posted six sacks and earned a 72.8 PFF pass-rush grade that ranked 81st among 887 interior defensive linemen—respectable production that suggests immediate NFL upside.
The timing could not be better for the Packers. Wyatt is expected back healthy, and Green Bay added two-time Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave, a veteran whose career has been defined by driving offensive linemen straight back into the quarterback’s lap. Add McClellan’s unique blend of movement skills and power, and the interior suddenly projects as a strength rather than a liability.
McClellan might not become the next Chris Jones. Kuhn never claimed he would. But the Missouri standout’s ability to slide across the line, execute stunts and loops, and physically overwhelm interior blockers offers the exact “Chris Jones feel” the Packers have been missing. For a defense that already features elite edge talent and now boasts a revamped interior, that feel could translate into immediate impact—and give opposing quarterbacks nightmares all season long.
