The Green Bay Packers have stood by for Micah Parsons return to the field.
And rookie defensive tackle Chris McClellan is making sure the star pass rusher’s presence is being put to use.
McClellan told reporters Thursday that Parsons has become a daily resource for him as he works through the details of rushing the passer from the interior.
“From Day 1 just pick his brain about like your three technique, what should I do right here to help set up a rush or what can I do better,” McClellan said, via Fox 11’s Vince Lovergine. “Having that in your back pocket everyday is awesome.”
A rookie still learning how NFL offensive linemen attack protections can definitely utilize that access to a star player.
Packers Rookie Is Taking Advantage of All-Pro’s Presence
Green Bay clearly viewed McClellan as more than another developmental body when it drafted him in April. The Packers moved up seven spots, from No. 84 to No. 77, and sent a fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay to secure the Missouri defensive tackle, the team announced on draft night.
The 6-foot-3, 313-pound McClellan was coming off his most productive college season. He totaled 48 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks and six quarterback hits for Missouri in 2025. That production afforded Green Bay an interior defender with enough athleticism to create disruption rather than just occupy blockers.
McClellan said after being drafted that he was excited about the chance to play alongside Parsons, calling him “one of the best in the game.” With time gone by since then, that relationship appears to have become more hands-on.
His questions to Parsons also say much about what the rookie is trying to sharpen. McClellan specifically pointed to three-technique work and setting up a rush — the small details that can turn power and athletic traits into consistent pressure.
McClellan has appeared in each of Green Bay’s first three games and has two assisted tackles. The box score has been quiet so far, but the Packers drafted him with a longer view in mind.
Parsons Is Helping Packers During Rehab
Parsons’ 2026 season has been defined by recovery to this point. He opened the year on the physically unable to perform list after undergoing ACL reconstruction and additional meniscus work following his December 2025 injury.
Green Bay has taken a deliberate approach with his recovery, and Parsons has yet to appear this season.
The Packers knew his absence would leave a major hole. Parsons produced 12.5 sacks, 12 tackles for loss and 27 quarterback hits in 14 games during his first season in Green Bay, earning another first-team All-Pro selection.
Yet his value to the defensive front has hardly disappeared while he rehabs.
Green Bay has a young group learning how to generate pressure without its most accomplished pass rusher on the field.
And when he returns from injury, Parsons can wreck protections from several alignments, while McClellan does his work inside. So long as the rookie develops into a legitimate interior rush threat, offenses could have to account for Parsons and McClellan on the same passing down.
In order to get this going, Green Bay needs to see Parsons back in uniform.
Packers Rookie Discloses What He’s Learning From Micah Parsons During Injury Absence