Backup offensive linemen are usually the players that opposing defenses pick on. They are thrown into the fire with little-to-no reps alongside the rest of the starters and forced into one of the toughest roles in the sport.

Therefore, it's extremely uncommon for a backup offensive lineman to enter the starting lineup sporadically and lead the league in pressure and sack rate allowed at his position. But that's what Rams offensive lineman Warren McClendon Jr. has done.

Among offensive tackles with at least 200 pass blocking snaps, McClendon has allowed the lowest pressure rate in the NFL at 1.9%, according to Next Gen Stats, and hasn't given up a sack. He's been a brick wall at one of the most important positions on the field, and one that's essential to the Rams' scheme given their proclivity for outside zone runs and play-action bootleg passes.

But for McClendon, those are just insignificant numbers. His main priority is not letting down his teammates and the future Hall of Fame quarterback that's slinging it behind him. So far, he hasn't.

"I'm just doing my job," McClendon told theRams.com. "I really try not to get too big in on the stats and stuff like that. Just trying to do my job. I don't want to let anybody down."

In his third NFL season, McClendon has emerged as a starting-caliber player and a potential long-term successor to 33-year-old Rob Havenstein. More extensive film study and an increased understanding of the offensive system has helped facilitate McClendon's breakout season.

Havenstein missed Weeks 5-7 with an ankle injury, and has been on Injured Reserve since Week 12. But his presence in the facility has been a huge help to McClendon, who often picks his brain, along with other veterans in the offensive line unit, to see how they approach certain situations.

Even during games, Havenstein will give McClendon tips, he said on Rams Revealed, whether it's a critique on his set, the depth of his drop or how he's using his hands. Havenstein is always looking for ways to support his 24-year-old teammate.

"After every series, he'll come up to me and be like, 'Hey, good series there or, hey, I saw this,'" McClendon said.

His film study during the week has also evolved thanks to Havenstein and other veterans. He's now noticing things he "wasn't even thinking about" last season, including nuances like how players' stances change on different downs and distances, and what tendencies that may indicate. He's anticipating defenders' movements rather than guessing.

Plus, center Coleman Shelton always puts his fellow blockers in the right spots with pre-snap communication and clear protection calls. That's been beneficial for McClendon in both the run and pass game.

"Just having (Shelton) basically just tell everybody what they're doing so I can just go do it, I'm not thinking, and I can just kind of play free," McClendon said.

That newfound confidence and self-assured play style hasn't gone unnoticed by the coaching staff.

"I think the totality of his body of work, whether it's in protection, run game, ownership and understanding (has improved)," said head coach Sean McVay. "The way that he's worked has allowed him to be able to have good experiences when he's playing in these real games."

"I think his physical and playing maturity (has improved) if that makes sense," said offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur. "Everything has just calmed down for him."

When McClendon has been on the field in pass protection this season, the Rams have allowed just a 20.7% pressure rate and 2.9% sack rate with an average time to throw of 2.78 seconds. The league average for teams in those categories are as follows: 34.1% pressure rate, 6.4% sack rate and a 2.83-second time to throw, according to Next Gen Stats. So, with McClendon at right tackle, they are allowing significantly less pressure and fewer sacks with a time to throw that's similar to the average team.

And one might argue that the Rams' increase in 13 personnel sets may have given him extra help in pass protection, but that hasn't been a factor in his success. In addition to total pressure rate allowed, McClendon has also allowed the lowest pressure rate in one-on-one situations at just 2.5%, according to Next Gen Stats. And his impact has been felt on the ground as well.

When the Rams run the ball in McClendon's direction, they average 5.7 yards per carry, a 57.8% success rate (plays that keep the offense on schedule to score on a given possession), 1.6 yards before contact and a 12.5% stuff rate (carries that go for zero or fewer yards), according to Next Gen Stats. Here are the league averages in those stats for all designed runs: 4.3 yards per carry, 41.8% success rate, 1.0 yards before contact and an 18.0% stuff rate. Those differences are more than significant, they're monumental.

Of course, these are team-wide stats that aren't solely reflective of McClendon's impact, but of the Rams' schematic success that McClendon has directly contributed to. Still, it isn't a coincidence that Los Angeles has been one of the most successful offenses in football in both phases when he's on the field.

That reality may be surprising to some, because of how backup offensive linemen are typically targeted by defenses, but to the teammates that see him putting in work on a daily basis, this emergence has been a long time coming.

"He's not the type of guy that you have to worry about messing up something," said offensive lineman Kevin Dotson. "He knows what to do. He's good at taking coaching, he's good with taking criticism, stuff like that, knows it's never from a hostile place or anything like that and takes it and uses it the next play. You'll see it, you'll see the improvement on the next time because he's not gonna let it happen again."

The nature of football is forward-thinking, however. For all the success he's had, the focus is always on the next game, and Week 15 will bring McClendon's toughest challenge yet in defensive end Aidan Hutchinson. LaFleur described Hutchinson as "an absolute freak" who ranks second in the NFL in quarterback pressures with 75, according to Next Gen Stats.

But, like most weeks, McClendon was in the film room with Havenstein after practices, studying tendencies and preparing for battle against one of the league's best.