The Atlanta Falcons made some roster moves earlier this week signing former UFL running back Jashaun Corbin. Adding the former San Antonio Brahma standout meant someone had to go. That someone was former Alabama running back, and last years sixth round pick, Jase McClellan.
His time with Atlanta was uninspiring, appearing in just two games before missing the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
“Atlanta drafted McClellan out of the University of Alabama with a sixth-round pick in 2024,” wrote Terrin Waack on the team’s website. “He appeared in two games as a rookie, taking 19 offensive snaps and eight special teams snaps. He had five carries for 17 yards in the Falcons’ Week 7 loss to the Seattle Seahawks and eight carries for 15 yards in the Falcons’ Week 11 loss to the Denver Broncos. He was placed on injured reserve in Week 15 due to a knee injury.”
One season behind one of the best running back duos in the league created a very small sample size for the former national champion with lingering injury concerns.
“McClellan missed rookie minicamp and OTAs in 2024 while rehabbing from a lingering foot injury from his final year at Alabama in 2023,” SI’s Daniel flick wrote. “Still, he made the Falcons’ roster out of training camp, but he played in only two games as a rookie…”
McClellan Career With The Crimson Tide
McClellan spent four years with Alabama, sharing the room with some pretty legendary names. His freshman season he won the National Championship averaging more than 10 yards per carry alongside NFL mainstay Najee Harris. The next season he was knocked out with an injury that allowed Commanders’ running back Brian Robinson Jr. to thrive. His junior year, it was Jahmyr Gibbs who the ex-Falcon split carries with.
Finally, after three long years of competing against some of the leagues best, it was his room. He recorded more than a thousand yards from scrimmage and eight touchdowns, but a foot injury at the tail end of the season kept him from participating in much of the pre draft process. Even then, his 5’11” stature and 215 pound frame made him an NFL sized prospect worthy of a sixth round selection.
“Steady three-down running back with the size and skill set that should create a roster opportunity for him,” wrote NFL Draft analyst Lance Zierlein during his pre draft process. “McClellan lacks explosiveness but gets it done with above-average vision and know-how. He’s an instinctive runner with three-down talent who could end up outplaying his draft slotting on the right team.”
One Of The NFL’s Best Running Back Rooms
The Falcons have one of the best running back rooms in the NFL. Pairing up super star Bijan Robinson with Tyler Allgeier, a fifth round selection who had a one thousand yard rookie campaign, has worked out exactly as well as many thought it would.
New signee Jashaun Corbin was the UFL’s league leading rusher in 2024 and the competition for the RB3 spot in a stacked room should be his to lose. The team’s official depth chart also has Carlos Washington Jr. listed as a running back, but the 26-year-old has never recorded an NFL carry.
