Falcons running backs coach Michael Pitre said it was obvious the moment he cut on the tape that McClellan was a physical runner who took advantage of the opportunities he got, even when those opportunities were limited.
Furthermore, when evaluating the running back position, Pitre stated, it’s not always going to be about the stat line. Sometimes it really is a pass of the eye test.
“You look at a guy like Jase, and you say, ‘OK, it’s not gonna necessarily be the testing and the numbers and this and that,’ but if you turn on the football film, you watch a guy inflict his will on the other team,” Pitre said. “And you watch it over and over and over through a 60-minute game.”
This fits the running style the Falcons have worked to establish with Tyler Allgeier and Bijan Robinson the last two seasons. Pitre has said since his arrival that he wants his group to get more difficult to tackle as the game goes on. McClellan has those traits, with Heard even likening him to Allgeier’s physical running style.
Allgeier is one who never shies away from contact, and that’s what Heard saw in McClellan, too. The pair also share an appreciation for ball security. Despite his hard-nosed mindset, Allgeier has yet to put the ball on the turf in the NFL. Likewise, McClellan fumbled just once during his college career.
As a scout, as a coach, you trust players like that, according to Heard.
“He’s always there,” Heard said the night the Falcons drafted McClellan in the sixth round of the 2024 NFL Draft. “You can trust him when you need that short yardage. I’d trust Jace in that situation, and I think that’s the reason we just pulled him off the board.”
There is further value in having someone like McClellan on the roster. He has some key history on special teams that the Falcons liked, which could factor into the strategy Atlanta deploys with the new kickoff rules being implemented in 2024.
Even if that’s not the case, though, McClellan is no stranger to waiting his turn. He’s also no stranger to making the most of opportunities given to him, whether they be plentiful or scarce.
No matter what, Heard concluded, he’ll be the same guy regardless.
“He’s the type of player that’s going to go in, he’s going to do whatever is asked of him. He did that at Alabama, when he wasn’t the starter. Do whatever, come in as a backup, play special teams, that’s the type he is,” Heard said. “He’s a guy that’s going to come in…
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