GREEN BAY – The film was cued up for Chris McClellan almost the instant the Packers' rookie third-round pick stepped foot in the door at Lambeau Field after the 2026 NFL Draft.
Defensive line coach Vince Oghobaase had a new pupil to mold in McClellan and the perfect veteran for the Mizzou standout to emulate in former two-time Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave, whom Green Bay had signed just a month earlier.
The two defensive tackles hadn't even met, but McClellan felt as though he already knew Hargrave based on film study alone.
"Coach Oghobaase and I watched his Pittsburgh, his San Fran and his Eagles tape almost every day to get that nose position down," said McClellan after practice on Monday.
"He's been a really good player for a long time, so we watched his tape all the time (and) I got familiar with his game."
Through the first week of training camp, McClellan has been putting that film study to work as the 6-foot-3, 313-pound defensive tackle has rotated in with the first-team defense in place of the injured Hargrave.
The two formed a connection during the offseason program, even taking a handful of snaps together, before Hargrave sustained a knee injury that has caused the 11th-year veteran to start camp on the physically unable to perform list.
With Devonte Wyatt also working his way back into 11-on-11 periods from the significant ankle injury that ended his 2025 season, McClellan and the Packers' young D-line have been getting extra work with the No. 1 defense all offseason.
That not only means getting a chance to hone their technique against Green Bay's starting offensive line but also getting the play calls from linebacker Zaire Franklin and taking direction from the other defensive veterans.
"It's a great feeling man," McClellan said. "Especially when we're in pads and getting deeper into camp and still have the opportunity to go out there and play with the '1' defense and be with the pros and guys like Zaire, when he's commanding the defense, it's just awesome."
The Packers have worked a number of combinations with Wyatt and Hargrave on the mend. McClellan and second-year veteran Nazir Stackhouse have been playing nose in the base defense while Karl Brooks and Warren Brinson have been playing end.
Even Jonathan Ford and practice-squad holdover Anthony Campbell have been making their presence felt on Green Bay's second- and third-team units in practice.
Brinson believes it comes down to chemistry within the positional room, both on and off the field. For example, the D-line went together to the new "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" movie that dropped last week.
It also helps to have a hard-charging defensive tackle like McClellan, who shot up draft boards after recording 48 tackles (eight for loss) with six sacks during his senior year at Mizzou.
"I mean, the guy led the SEC D-tackles in sacks last year," Brinson said. "He brings that pass-rush edge (and) the biggest thing is growing and being a pro, honestly. He's doing a really good job at being a pro."
Part of that is McClellan's makeup and part is the tutelage of Oghobaase and Hargrave, who have both been an open book to the 22-year-old rookie. While he hasn't practiced yet this summer, Hargrave has been an invaluable resource for McClellan in the meeting room.
Admittedly, McClellan was a bit in awe of Hargrave at first – a defensive tackle 11 years his senior. Also, there aren't interior linemen in the NFL who have 59 tackles for loss and 49 sacks on their career ledger.
"Just seeing him walk around the building, it's like, 'Man, you realize who you are?'" said McClellan with a laugh.
"It's definitely cool. It's just a big bro type of feel. Anytime I can think of something I'm like, 'Hey, what do you think about this or how should I do this? How should I approach this?' He's always coming around and trying to help me as much as he can and give me the best answer possible."
McClellan has held his own during the opening hour of his NFL career, earning a few pressures of starting quarterback Jordan Love during the first padded practice of camp on Monday.
While there was once a time in Green Bay when it was difficult for any rookie to get run with the first-team units, Head Coach Matt LaFleur has not been shy about giving rookies reps when earned.
This summer has been a good example of that, as McClellan, cornerback Brandon Cisse, edge rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and offensive lineman Jager Burton have all taken first-team reps.
"It's exciting to see us all out there playing," said Dennis-Sutton, a fourth-round pick out of Penn State who earned a few defensive stops during Monday's practice. "That's what training camp is for, continue to grow and really, it's an open competition in our room. I'm just here to compete and see who gets out on the field."
After putting the pads on for the first time on Monday, McClellan is champing at the bit for the first one-on-one period between the offensive and defensive line on Tuesday.
It's expected the rookies will give way to the veterans in the coming days and weeks, but McClellan hopes the snaps he's been afforded will help him contribute right out of the gate.
"Just going out there and each of us having our chances to go out there and make big plays," said McClellan of the rookie class. "Dani is all over the place. Cisse has been locking stuff down. It's just awesome to see us three out there playing with the '1' defense and actually dominating. We're always going to be a little closer because that's our draft class. It's just cool to see that."
