The Rams selected Georgia offensive tackle Warren McClendon Jr. 174th overall in the fifth round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
College: McClendon started all 14 games at right tackle for the Georgia Bulldogs his senior year in a national championshipwinning season in 2022 and earned Coaches' All-SEC First-Team recognition. He was named team captain for four games that season and to the preseason All-SEC First-Team by media. In 2021, he started in all 15 games and played in 86 percent of Georgia's total offensive plays. He was a crucial part in an offensive attack that helped Georgia to a national championship that season. In 2020, McClendon was named to the Football Writers Associaton of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America Team and started at right tackle in nine of 10 games. He played in 86 percent of Georgia's offensive snaps in the regular season, including every snap in four straight contests. He also started and played the entirety of the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati. He saw action against Murray State, Missouri, Georgia Tech and Baylor games after enrolling at UGA in January
Personal: McClendon was rated a four-star prospect coming out of high school by 247 Sports, the 235th prospect nationally, the no. 22 offensive tackle nationally and the no.25 player in Georgia following his senior year of high school. As a junior in 2017, he was named to the AJC All-State Class 6A Team, Georgia Writers Association and the Class 6A First-Team Offense and First-Team All-Region 2-6A. He was selected to represent Team Overdrive in Nike's The Opening 2018 Finals and also played basketball. He helped lead his high school team to the Sweet 16 of the 2018 GHSA Class 6A State Tournament and the 2017 GHSA Class 6A State Championship game as a sophomore. McClendon was the recipient of the Joseph S. Espy Football Scholarship, as well as the Doug and Diane Magnus Football Scholarship. He is the nephew of Willie McClendon, who was an All-SEC tailback at UGA from 1976-78. His cousin Bryan McClendon was hired as Pass Game Coordinator and WR coach for the Bulldogs.
