Warren McClendon taken by L.A. Rams in fifth round of NFL Draft
Georgia offensive lineman Warren McClendon has heard his named called in the 2023 NFL Draft. Taken at No. 174 overall, he’s headed out west to Los Angeles with the Rams where he’ll continue to protect Stetson Bennett (as well as fellow former Georgia quarterback Matthew Stafford).
McClendon has been the model of consistency on Georgia’s offensive line the past few seasons. After he saw action in just four games as a true freshman, McClendon stepped in his second season and established himself as a starter at right tackle.
In the season-opener against Arkansas – a Razorbacks team that had not won an SEC game in over two seasons – McClendon helped provide a spark for a struggling Bulldogs offense. After doing that, he took over as the starter at right tackle and remained there the rest of the season. He played 86 percent of Georgia’s offensive snaps including every snap in four straight contests. McClendon also played the entirety of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati on his way to being named a Freshman All-American by the Football Writers Association of America.
McClendon kept his starting streak going in 2021, and carried it well into 2022 too. Once again he played 86 percent of offensive snaps including all of the Clemson, Kentucky, Florida, Michigan and both Alabama games. He was voted to the All-SEC First-Team in the 2022 preseason and earned a spot that year on the Coaches’ All-SEC First-Team at year’s end. Starting all but the final two games of the year due to injury, McClendon’s streak got to 37 straight starts, helping Georgia to a 34-3 record in that time. He was named a team captain four times during his final season including on Senior Day as he was among the Bulldogs recognized during a pregame ceremony.
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McClendon was invited to the Reese’s Senior Bowl and participated in practice but did not play in the game. He also attended the NFL Scouting Combine but did not do on-field drills – only interviews and measurements – after the knee injury late in the 2022 season. McClendon was also a passenger in the tragic accident on January 15th that took the lives of teammate Devin Willock and Georgia Football support staffer Chandler LeCroy. McClendon suffered “head lacerations” and a concussion but was cleared to participate in drills at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. ahead of the NFL Draft less than a month later.
McClendon is the ninth Georgia player to be picked in the 2023 NFL Draft, joining first round selections Jalen Carter (Eagles), Broderick Jones (Steelers) and Nolan Smith (Eagles) along with Darnell Washington (Steelers), Kelee Ringo (Eagles), Stetson Bennett (Rams), Christopher Smith (Raiders) and Robert Beal (49ers).
