Atlanta Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot felt the same calm and composed vibe from Jase McClellan when he welcomed the Alabama running back to the team during the 2024 NFL Draft as he did when he welcomed Crimson Tide safety DeMarcco Hellams during the 2023 draft.
“Man, you’re so chill,” Fontenot told McClellan on April 27. “You Alabama guys are always so composed. It reminds me of DeMarcco’s call last year. Just real relaxed, man, real laid back.”
In 2023, Atlanta selected Hellams in the seventh round, and he became a starter in the Falcons’ secondary by the end of his rookie season.
McClellan joined Atlanta in the sixth round of the 2024 draft, and Fontenot expects him to make an impact, too.
“We analyze success rates in everything,” Fontenot explained in his post-draft press conference. “What’s the success rate at this point? What’s the success rate for this? Taking quarterbacks in the third and fourth rounds, for example, doesn’t have a good success rate. But there are different success rates for every position. Late-round running backs have a really good success rate, so we’re excited about him. Excited about his character.”
“We like picking players from Bama. We took one last year, and it turned out pretty well.”
McClellan enters the NFL after leading Alabama in rushing in the 2023 season with 890 yards and eight touchdowns on 180 carries, and catching 15 passes for 137 yards. Throughout his Crimson Tide career, which included a torn ACL in the 2021 season, McClellan accumulated 1,981 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on 355 attempts, along with 409 receiving yards and six touchdowns on 40 receptions.
Fontenot described McClellan as “a natural runner,” a physical back who can play all three downs, including pass protection and catching the ball. “Very excited about him. Another guy with great character.”
McClellan joins a running back lineup in Atlanta that already has two young, established ball-carriers.
In the 2023 draft, Atlanta picked Bijan Robinson with the eighth pick. Robinson rushed for 976 yards and four touchdowns on 214 carries and caught 58 passes for 487 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie.
Tyler Allgeier, a 1,000-yard rusher as a rookie in 2023, had 683 yards and four touchdowns on 186 carries and 18 receptions for 193 yards and one touchdown in 2024.
Atlanta has three other running backs on their offseason roster: Avery Williams, Carlos Washington Jr., and Robert Burns.
“It’s a great opportunity to learn and work with other great running backs,” McClellan said. “Just feed off each other, get better.”
McClellan will be expected to continue a streak for Crimson Tide running backs that started on Nov. 17, 2007. Since then, every conference or postseason game for Alabama has been started by an eligible running back who went on to carry the football in an NFL regular-season game.
McClellan, who made his first start against Southern Miss on Sept. 25, 2021, aims to join the ranks of successful Alabama running backs who have played in the NFL.
McClellan will participate in the Falcons’ rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday.
