With training camp only two weeks away, we're counting down the days until players are back on the field getting ready for the 2026 season. Warren McClendon Jr. is a key player to watch this year, entering Week 1 as a projected starter for the first time in his career.
After a successful stint filling in for Rob Havenstein last season, McClendon will be a cog in the offensive line this year. He'll be responsible for blocking the front side at right tackle, keeping Matthew Stafford upright and creating big holes for both Kyren Williams and Blake Corum.
McClendon enters the year as the Rams' 14th-most important player in our 2026 rankings.
Puka Nacua, Byron Young and Kobie Turner get all of the attention as the headliners from the Rams' 2023 draft class, but McClendon was also part of that group – and he was actually drafted three spots earlier than Nacua, so Los Angeles felt more strongly about him and than the former BYU receiver.
As the 174th overall pick in the fifth round, McClendon took his talents from Georgia to Los Angeles and though he was a backup for his first two seasons, he became a starter in 2025 after Havenstein got hurt.