Jordan McFadden, G, Clemson | NFL Draft Scouting Report

The tried and true belief in the NFL is the games are won and lost in the trenches. Finding quality players for your offensive line is a priority for every team, every year. Your quarterback can have the biggest arm, or be the most accurate, and it doesn’t matter if he’s on his back all game. Kansas City Chiefs GM Brett Veach recognized this following 2020, and revamped his entire offensive line into one of the league’s best, even though they had the best quarterback on planet Earth.

Jordan McFadden is a draft prospect hoping some team feels he can be a piece that comes in and upgrades a unit looking to protect their quarterback. If all goes well, the guard may hear his name called within the NFL draft’s first two nights. Below is everything you need to know about McFadden’s scouting report.

Jordan McFadden NFL Draft Profile

• Position: Guard
• School: Clemson
• Year: Fifth-Year Senior

Coming out of high school, McFadden was the 10th-ranked player in South Carolina by ESPN, the 14th-ranked player by 247 Sports, and the 20th-ranked player by Rivals. He was also named South Carolina’s Lineman Of The Year.

McFadden helped Dorman High School to a 12-3 record and the state title game as a senior. He had the athleticism to be a multi-sport athlete and also played basketball at Dorman, helping them to a 23-5 record as a junior.

McFadden redshirted his freshman year in 2018 and played just 17 snaps across three games. As a sophomore, he played 315 snaps, which was a significant amount as a reserve tackle, setting the stage for his junior season, where he started all 12 games at right tackle in 2020, more than doubling his snap count (767) from the previous year.

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Clemson led the ACC as the only team to allow fewer than two sacks per game. As a result, some media organizations recognized McFadden as a second-team All-ACC player. The following season, the AP officially named him a second-team All-ACC selection.

That season, McFadden’s snap count went even higher. He led the team with 872 offensive snaps over 13 games (all starts) and finished the year as one of only four Clemson players to start every game. His 872 snaps were the most by a Clemson offensive tackle since 2016.

It was McFadden’s final season when he was truly recognized as not just an ascending player but as a respected team leader. He was voted by his teammates as a permanent team captain that season. He played so well that he earned the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, presented to the top blocker in the ACC.

McFadden garnered first-team All-ACC honors from the AP, and he was a second-team All-ACC selection by College Football Network. He finished his career having started all 14 games for Clemson, and his 989 offensive snaps tied for the fourth most by an offensive tackle for a season in program history.

Jordan McFadden Scouting Report from Tony Pauline

Strengths: Terrific college left tackle who projects to guard at the next level. Fires off the snap into run blocks, displays strength, and turns defenders from the line. Keeps his feet moving, makes great use of angles in pass protection, and keeps his head on a swivel.

Stays with assignments and works his hands throughout the action. Bends his knees, stays square, and anchors at the point. Quick to the second level and flashes ability blocking in motion.

Weaknesses: Lacks smooth and fluid footwork in space. Struggles adjusting to pick up the blitz. Occasionally late with his hands.

Overall: McFadden was a terrific three-year starter for Clemson at both left and right tackle. He’s a strong lineman who flashes a lot of ability blocking in motion and offers possibilities in both a power gap or zone-blocking scheme. McFadden also comes with 34-inch arms, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him starting by the end of his rookie season.

Jordan McFadden Combine Measurements and Results

The NFL Scouting Combine gives us a great opportunity to see how players stack up in various testing environments. Luckily, PFN has full databases of both NFL Combine measurements and NFL Combine results. Below is everything you need to know from McFadden’s Combine performance.

• Height: 6022
• Weight: 303
• Arm: 34
• Hand: 9 1/2″
• Bench Press: 24
• 40-yard Dash: 4.99

Jordan McFadden Current Draft Position

According to Tony Pauline’s Big Board, McFadden is projected as a third-round pick. Not only that, Tony believes that at the next level, McFadden projects more as a guard than he does as a right tackle, which is the position he exclusively played in college.

When looking at his Relative Athletic Score, it’s easy to see why. The category that was “poor” for McFadden was size. At 6’2”, he doesn’t have the height some teams like to see at the tackle position. His agility scores were also just about average, with a poor shuttle time. When out on the edge, tackles in the NFL need to be agile and quick to match up against athletic edge players.

With that said, McFadden’s speed score was considered excellent, with an elite 10-yard split in the 40-yard dash. Teams could make the assessment that his burst in short areas, combined with a lack of agility, makes him a better guard where he can be explosive but work in smaller spaces. Playing guard in the NFL is like sumo wrestling in a phone booth. It’s very possible teams ask McFadden to transition there.

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Pauline has McFadden listed as the third-best available guard. Meanwhile, the PFN Mock Draft Simulator has him listed as an offensive tackle, given that’s where he played in college.

Nevertheless, when I did my latest run-through, I realized the Buffalo Bills could take McFadden at pick 91 in Round 3. The Bills have a big need at guard. With no second-round pick and O’Cyrus Torrence, Steve Avila, and Peter Skoronski more than likely already off the board by then, Buffalo may not be able to wait much longer than that to grab a guard. Perhaps McFadden fills that need.