The Oakland Raiders notably selected former Clemson Tigers defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Even though the Raiders finished this year's installment of the annual event with three first-round picks in all, Ferrell was the team's first off the board this time around, placing a tremendous amount of pressure on the former Clemson standout's shoulders ahead of his rookie season in 2019.
While this is undoubtedly a big season for Ferrell to get off on the right foot as an NFL defender, the Raiders are also looking to turn things around in a hurry as head coach Jon Gruden did not encounter much success in his first season back along the sideline in 2018. With Ferrell helping Gruden and company in terms of bringing in young talent with a slew of talented veterans previously heading out of Oakland, the Raiders' season will be contingent on how these up-and-comers ultimately perform throughout the year.
Unfortunately for Ferrell and the rest of the Raiders, Oakland will be forced to matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos in the AFC West division. With three potentially potent offenses standing across the field, Ferrell will need to play above his rookie status to help his team find success in 2019. Can he do it, though?
3. Clelin Ferrell Won't Exceed Eight Sacks
Despite his status as a top 2019 NFL Draft choice, it will take some time for the former Clemson Tigers standout to adjust to the fast-paced nature of the professional ranks. Because it will surely take Ferrell more than a few games to get going as he will be matched up against some of the top talent in the league, the rookie pass rusher will not exceed more than eight sacks in 2019 — and that may be a generous figure. The Raiders pass rush suffered mightily in 2018, thanks to the departure of current Chicago Bears pass rusher Khalil Mack, who quite literally singlehandedly outperformed his former team as a whole last season. In the absence of Mack, it was clear that the Raiders would need more than just one player to lead to such production along the outside while it does not appear as though Ferrell alone can enhance this unit going forward.
It is also worth noting that he produced an even 27 sacks at the collegiate level, with Ferrell tallying a single-season career-high 11.5 sacks in 2018, which immediately followed 9.5 sacks in 2017.
2. Clelin Ferrell Won't Record More Than 50 Total Tackles
In his final three seasons at Clemson, Clelin Ferrell registered 44 total tackles, 66 total tackles, and 55 total tackles, respectively, while playing alongside some of the best overall players in the country. Because the Tigers sported such an impressive defense and specifically an incredibly talented defensive line, Ferrell was able to wreak havoc in every facet of the game en route to doing just about whatever he wanted to the opposing offenses lined up against him and his teammates.
However, that won't be the case going forward as the talent level found at the NFL threshold crosses into each and every position on a weekly basis. Because the Oakland Raiders defense is less than stellar, Ferrell will surely not be receiving the same assistance as he did at Clemson throughout the last few seasons. For that reason, he will see a lot more double teams and much more intricate blocking schemes, which will limit his production as a rookie — at least for the first portion of the 2019-20 regular season.
As a result, Ferrell won't be able to eclipse the 50-total tackle threshold.
1. Clelin Ferrell Will Appear In All 16 Regular Season Games
Even though Ferrell will get off to a slow start to his NFL career, the rookie pass rusher will manage to appear in all 16 regular-season games for the Oakland Raiders in 2019. Because the majority of NFL franchises rotate their defensive lineman on a regular basis, perhaps a lesser workload for Ferrell will help his production going forward as this scheme can help ease him into the NFL. If Ferrell only plays a fraction of the team's defensive snaps instead of playing nearly all of them, he should be able to remain durable and healthy throughout a full 16-game slate, which could prove incredibly useful heading into his second and third seasons atop the highest level.
As it stands today, the Raiders have nine defensive linemen that the team can use upfront while Ferrell is currently listed as a starting defensive end, according to the team's official Week 1 depth chart.
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