Michael Clemens/Las Vegas Raiders
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Clelin Ferrell (96) on the field for practice at 2020 Training Camp at Intermountain Healthcare Performance Center, Wednesday, August 12, 2020, in Henderson, Nev.
Thursday, Aug. 20, 2020 | 2 a.m.
Draft status only gets you so far in the NFL, and after a while it can become more of a hindrance than an advantage.
That’s where defensive end Clelin Ferrell stands heading into his second year. The Raiders broke with consensus to take the former Clemson star with the No. 4 overall pick in last year’s draft, and that pedigree turned into an albatross around Ferrell’s neck as he struggled through an ineffective rookie season.
Ferrell started 15 games but was not productive, as he played 62 percent of the snaps and recorded just 4.5 sacks. He pressured opposing passers only 15 times on the year, all the while drawing increasing criticism for not living up to the hype.
It didn’t help that a teammate, fellow rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby, burst onto the scene with 10.0 sacks as a rookie. Crosby, by the way, was taken more than a hundred picks after Ferrell (No. 106 overall).
In his first meeting with the media at training camp, Ferrell said he heard the criticism last year but insisted he was proud of his first pro campaign no matter what his stats say.
“You definitely hear it, but for me, nobody knows what I know internally or what we know internally as a team,” Ferrell said. “I just block a lot of that stuff out. It doesn’t really matter. I know I had a good rookie year regardless of what anybody had to say about me.”
Ferrell did have to battle some hardships in 2019, including an illness during the season that he said caused him to drop 20 pounds. He spent much of the offseason catching up physically and regaining good weight, and early training camp reports on his physique have been positive.
Defensive coordinator Paul Guenther believes Ferrell’s reshaped body and experience in the system will allow him to break out in Year 2.
“A lot quicker, a lot stronger, a lot more leaner muscle,” Guenther said of Ferrell. “Obviously, he got sick throughout the year there but he’s come back. He looks like a different guy and just going through the walkthroughs and some of the things we’re doing, he’s understanding the little details a lot better in our defense and that’s what you are looking for in a second-year player.”
The fact that Ferrell seems to be picking up details is a good sign. There were times last year when he appeared to overthink things, causing him to play slower and with less force than you’d expect from a 6-foot-4, 265-pound man.
His hesitancy was something Crosby noticed from the other side of the line.
“He’s a good player,” Crosby said. “He won the Ted Hendricks Award in college, he can play football. He got drafted high for a reason. But I feel like mentally he wasn’t where he needed to be, and that’s just me being honest. I can tell him that too and he knows that. He let too many outside things come into play. I feel like he let coaching and certain stuff — overthinking stuff on the field. For me, I’m not the best in the classroom, but I just go. That’s what I try to do is try to help him with that aspect because Cle is a technician. He does everything perfect with drills. He makes sure he does everything right.”
After persevering through a rough rookie season that challenged him physically and mentally, Ferrell believes that he has amassed enough experience that he can now trust his instincts.
“I feel like the biggest thing is just cutting it loose,” Ferrell said. “Last year, kind of going through that process and learning about it, I feel like too much of me was thinking, trying to learn everything, but it’s a learning curve regardless of what people got to say. People don’t know what it takes to play or do what was asked of me last year. But aside from that, I’m ready to go. Anything that’s asked of me, I feel like I’m ready to do it and do it at a very high level.”
That approach should add up to increased production in 2020. If it doesn’t, Ferrell’s status as a former high draft pick won’t help him much longer.
Guenther said it’s time for Ferrell to play up to his potential.
“I always tell the players, first year you learn, second year you better show me something, and third year if you don’t we’ve got to move on,” Guenther said. “And Clelin is right on that line where he’s really showing that he understands the little details in our defense in his second year. But he’s going to progress. He’s come back physically great and now he’s learning the defense a lot better in his second year.”
Mike Grimala can be reached at 702-948-7844 or [email protected]. Follow Mike on Twitter at twitter.com/mikegrimala.
