McClellan’s stock heading upward | 2026 NFL Draft film review
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Former Missouri DT Chris McClellan, pictured, set a career-high with six quarterback sacks in 2025. His stock is rising heading into next month's draft.
Former Missouri defensive tackle Chris McClellan continues to see his stock climb heading into next month’s NFL Draft. After setting career-highs in sacks and tackles for loss in 2025, the former Florida Gator fared well at the 2026 Senior Bowl.
The fact that McClellan developed into one of the SEC’s best interior defensive lineman comes as no surprise. The Owasso (Okla.) High School star once ranked as the second-best recruit in the state. Prior to that, he was a star defensive end/defensive tackle at Edison (Okla.) High School for three seasons. While at Edison, those former defensive end bursts off the edge caught the attention of college recruiters.
The ESPN300 recruit eventually fielded offers from Alabama and Ohio State before heading to Gainesville.
Not bad for a player who didn’t -by his own admission- initially have an unyielding passion for the game.
“I did not like football as a kid,” McClellan told Florida Gators.com senior writer Scott Carter back in 2023. “I would be sitting in the grass and playing with bugs or something like that. Which is crazy now because I love it.”
Fast forward to 2026 and McClellan’s diverse skill-set has set him up for a potential draft-day rise into Day 2 or Day 3 status. In a deep class of defensive linemen, what sets the former Tiger apart from the rest? Find out in our video breakdown.
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