LA Rams select Warren McClendon in 5th round of 2023 NFL Draft

After anchoring the Georgia offensive line the last three seasons and winning two national championships, Warren McClendon is officially heading to the next level. He has heard his name called in the 2023 NFL Draft.

The Los Angeles Rams selected McClendon in the 5th round of the draft with the No. 174 overall pick. He started at right tackle for Georgia the last two seasons and was named a captain multiple times in 2022.

McClendon entered the 2022 season a preseason All-SEC selection and lived up to that billing as he earned first team all-conference recognition. He started all 15 games on the offensive line protecting Stetson Bennett en route to a second straight national championship. In fact, as a unit, the Georgia offensive line allowed just 9.0 sacks in 2022, which ranked fourth in the nation.

In 2020 as a redshirt freshman, McClendon played 86 percent of snaps and started nine of 10 games that season to earn freshman All-America honors from the FWAA.

After the 2022 season, though, McClendon was a passenger in a fatal car crash that killed former teammate Devin Willock and recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy. He suffered minor injuries, but was back on the field for the Senior Bowl two weeks later and said he played in the game in Willock’s memory, saying his former teammate would’ve wanted him out there.

McClendon played high school football at Brunswick (Ga.) High School, where he was a four-star prospect. He was the No. 182 overall recruit in the 2019 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Warren McClendon

NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein wrote about what McClendon can bring to an NFL team after his standout career at Georgia. Despite the success he had on the line at UGA, Zierlein said there are some concerns about McClendon’s size. Still, he has proven to be effective in pass protection, why he might still be able to crack a roster as a backup.

“A three-year starter and two-time national champion, McClendon has been a hardworking team leader at Georgia,” Zierlein wrote. “His intangibles, however, are countered by a lack of ideal size, length and athleticism as either a tackle or a guard. McClendon needs to get stronger and will always have issues finding success too far away from home base, but he works to the whistle and has enough pass protection savvy for multi-positional consideration as a backup.”