ATHENS — Warren McClendon might be the toughest-minded player in the 2023 NFL Draft when one considers what the Georgia offensive lineman has been through.

McClendon helped lead the Bulldogs to back-to-back CFP Championships with strong and steady play that earned him All-SEC honors.

The Brunswick High School product measured in at 6-foot-4 and 306 pounds at the 2023 NFL Combine, though he held himself out of some of the combine testing on account of the knee injury he was still recovering from.

McClendon suffered a sprained knee in Georgia’s SEC Championship Game win against LSU.

More recently, McClendon suffered a concussion when the SUV he was riding in crashed into a brick apartment building at more than 80 mph in the well-documented Jan. 16 accident that claimed the lives of recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy and UGA lineman Devin Willock.

McClendon, who said he blacked out and has no recall of the impact, did not allow that tragic event to derail his NFL dreams.

Instead, McClendon accepted a late Senior Bowl invitation and was back on the practice field in full contact drills less than two weeks later.

McClendon has a team-oriented nature to the extent he has always been willing an open to play wherever his team needs him, so the possibility of him moving to the offensive guard position once in the NFL would not be an issue.

Starting background

McClendon was Georgia’s most experienced and reliable player off the 2022 CFP Championship team, starting 37 consecutive games at right tackle before the sprained knee snapped his streak.

Impressive early

McClendon took a redshirt his first season with Georgia in 2019 before winning a starting job in 2020 after former Ole Miss head coach Matt Luke took over the UGA offensive line coaching duties for current Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman.

McClendon was so impressive out of the gate that he earned Freshman All-American honors from the Football Writers Association of America.

Team leader

McClendon was a three-time team captain for the 2022 CFP Championship team, a reflection of just how respected he was and is by his teammates.

Rising star Amarius Mims, who assumed right tackle duties when McClendon was injured against LSU, spoke of how McClendon remained engaged and helped coach him up over the final weeks of the season.

McClendon comes from a military family, and he explained that it has helped provide him direction and discipline throughout his life and football career.