The Alabama Crimson Tide are known for their ability to recruit and develop elite running back talent. Is Jase McClellan the next highly-touted Crimson Tide RB to come through the NFL Draft? What would McClellan bring to an NFL team, and what does his scouting report look like?
Jase McClellan Draft Profile and Measurements
- Height: 5’11”
- Weight: 212 pounds
- Position: Running Back
- School: Alabama
- Current Year: Senior
Unless a recruit is hands down the best in the country, opinions are usually all over the place regarding even the more elite players in the country. Yet, there was practically no dissent when evaluating McClellan as a high school recruit.
The Aledo, Texas native was a consensus four-star prospect. On3, Rivals, and ESPN all ranked him the sixth-best player in the state and the sixth-best RB in the country. Only those heathens at 247 disagreed, ranking him the 13th-best recruit in Texas and the seventh-best RB in the nation.
After initially committing to Oklahoma, McClellan eventually chose Alabama.
It appears Aledo did nothing but hand him the ball because he finished his high school career with 842 carries and 122 touchdowns. McClellan rushed for 1,599 yards as a sophomore while missing six games due to injury. He had 2,073 yards his junior season while scoring 47 touchdowns.
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McClellan’s usage has dropped significantly in college. His 175 attempts won’t scare anyone away, but the senior running back tore his ACL in 2021, and his heavy usage in high school could be a concern later on down the line.
Jase McClellan Scouting Report
Strengths
- Good top speed, but takes time to get there (gazelle-style long strider)
- Impressive leg drive upon contact keeps him moving forward
- One-cut nature makes him a nice wide-zone candidate
- Good burst at the first level
- Natural hands as a pass catcher
Weaknesses
- Torn ACL in 2021
- Not overly dynamic after the first move
- Despite leg drive, he doesn’t break a ton of tackles
- Passivity in pass pro leads to tight edge angles on QB
- Initial burst is there but gets bogged down in third and fourth gear
Current Draft Projection and Summary
The overall valuation of McClellan is in a holding pattern. There is clear talent present in his game. His hands appear natural, and he has picked up explosive plays at a surprising rate considering some of his shortcomings as a runner.
If he can remain healthy on a decent workload in Tuscaloosa this season, it wouldn’t be surprising to see McClellan selected sometime on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. However, he must prove to have increased his contact balance and become more of a creator in the run game.
His injury history could also factor into his eventual draft stock. Unfortunately for McClellan, that history is not clean and will have to be investigated in Indianapolis during the NFL Combine.
