Quick Look At Massive New Bucs OT Tyler McLellan

Putting McLellan, who has played mainly right tackle in his college career, in a room with Goedeke, who has learned how to thrive at tackle despite shorter arms should give him a chance to learn techniques that have served the Bucs starter well over the past two seasons.

Back to McLellan. I had access to just one of his games from his final year at Campbell – a Week 10 matchup against North Carolina. I also watched all of his snaps from the preseason last year. Here are my takeaways.

Where Tyler McLellan Wins

Tyler McLellan’s go-to finishing move as a pass blocker is a snatch-and-trap where he gets his hands on a rusher’s arms, creates a forceful downward motion to redirect his opponent’s momentum towards the ground and finishes by essentially falling on top of them. He is aware of the arm-length disparity he faces against most defenders and so he has developed an active hands approach with solid pop to disrupt timing.

McLellan plays with the tenacity and temperament of an offensive lineman the Bucs would covet. He lives to not just win his blocks but put people into the ground and relishes the opportunity to make them feel the entirety of his mass on top of them.

You see this in both how he closes out pass sets where he knocks his assignment down as well as on run plays where he clearly enjoys winning vertically and seeing how far he can drive an opponent backwards.

Where McLellan Struggles

It will come as no surprise that long rushers who can create power give him plenty of fits. Despite his impressive size, if McLellan gives up his chest to a bull rusher with even a modicum of pad level discipline he is going for a ride backwards due to his height. He can also give up the edge to speed rushers as he tends to have a short pass set, allowing a soft edge that can be taken advantage of.

The short sets are a part of a larger problem that I see with his feet. He is not particularly agile or athletic. As such, he struggles to maintain a balanced base and he has a tendency to stop his feet. When that happens, it can be game over for the second-year pro.

This also limits how he can be used in the run game. The Bucs have prioritized athleticism at this position and enjoy getting their tackles into space where they can get out in front of ball carriers and erase smaller defenders.

While McLellan’s tape isn’t devoid of these snaps, he can be beat to spots regularly. If he was pressed into service, it would curtail the more creative parts of the team’s run game from last year.

His feet also create another problem in how he manages multiple points of attack. When receiving inside stunts, he has a tendency to soften his inside shoulder, allowing him and the guard to be split and providing a direct path for the defensive tackle to the quarterback.

Can He Make The Bucs 53-Man Roster?

Part of that will depend on how the team addresses Tristan Wirfs’ injury from a roster management standpoint. If Wirfs does end up on the PUP list when the season starts, I could see Tyler McLellan ending up as the 53rd man if he has a strong camp. As it stands right now the team doesn’t have a clarified plan on how they will handle the tackle spot behind Luke Goedeke. Charlie Heck is a lock for the roster, although head coach Todd Bowles went out of his way to avoid declaring Heck the opening day starter.

The team has been using 2024 sixth-round pick Elijah Klein at right tackle in practice due to a shortage in numbers at the position. Klein received some playing time at tackle last preseason in Jacksonville in an emergency capacity. His play at that position was not nearly as good as the tape he had on the inside, and I doubt he is a viable option at tackle in the NFL.

The team is high on undrafted free agent Ben Chukwuma, but he is a raw prospect who will need time to continue to learn and develop. Beyond him, McLellan will be battling Lorenz Metz and Luke Haggard for a spot on the roster unless the team opts for a veteran addition. That’s certainly on the table as the Bucs have worked out both George Fant and Chris Hubbard over the last week. Otherwise, if McLellan has a strong training camp, he could put himself in the mix for a temporary spot on the roster until Wirfs returns.

Last year his play during the Chargers’ three preseason games was solid. Grading site Pro Football Focus only attributed one pressure allowed to him over 49 pass blocking snaps while also crediting him with an 89.8 run block grade to his 19 run blocking snaps. A similar camp this year could have him in the conversation for a roster spot. But long-term I think there are just too many limitations to his athletic profile to be anything other than a camp body/roster bubble player and if he has to take the field this year the Bucs offense could be in trouble.