The Oakland Raiders made a big leap of faith back in April when they drafted Clemson defensive lineman Clelin Ferrell fourth overall. The move shocked just about everybody, as Ferrell wasn't expected to go until the middle or end of the first round.
Expectations will be lofty, and Ferrell will have a lot of doubters right away. It's early, but so far the Raiders seem quite pleased with what they've got. Defensive coordinator Paul Geunther sounds especially high on his new rookie.
“Cle is an every-down end,” Guenther said, via Josh Schrock of NBC Sports. “He’s exactly what we thought he was.”
Ferrell is looking forward to making an impact right away, and he made it clear he isn't looking to take a back seat just because he's new.
“They didn’t bring us in here to be no rookie,” Ferrell said. “And I don’t mean it from that sense, I just mean it from rookie can kind of get a connotation of — ‘you can sit in the back.' You know, ‘wait your turn. You don’t got to step out in front and really show that you want to play.' I consider myself just a first-year player. That’s all that it is.”
Ferrell is used to playing on a big stage at Clemson, and he sure did deliver last year. In his senior season, he finished with 20 tackles for loss and 11.5 sacks. Ferrell said he's embracing the competition and the culture that Jon Gruden has set in Oakland.
“As far as my mindset, I just want to come out and compete and earn everything that we got, and to do that in this defense you got to communicate, be physical, you got to be a guy that wants to set the tone, set the standard and be accountable and do your job.”
We won't truly know for a while, but so far everything seems to be going smoothly for the Raiders' top pick.
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