Jon Gruden and the Oakland Raiders shocked the world with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. With plenty of big names available, they decided to take a risk and select Clemson pass rusher Clelin Ferrell with the pick. Ferrell was mocked in the mid-to-late stages of the first round.
Following his selection by the Raiders, Ferrell was shocked himself. He shared his initial reaction to being picked at No. 4 overall in a quote shared by Matt Schneidman.
New Raiders DE Clelin Ferrell on being picked No. 4: "I would be lying to you if I said I wasn't surprised."
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) April 26, 2019
Mike Mayock certainly made his name known with his first pick as the Raiders' general manager. There is no denying that Ferrell is a talented football player and destroyed opposing offenses at the collegiate level, but names like Josh Allen and others were still available, which made this move a major surprise.
During the 2018 season with Clemson, Ferrell put together a big year. He racked up 55 total tackles, 20 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, two defended passes, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and a defensive touchdown. If he can be as productive in the NFL as he was in college, this pick will go down as a steal.
Oakland had to bring in some pass rushing help after being forced to trade Khalil Mack last offseason. Hopefully, Ferrell is able to come in and become an impact player immediately.
Either way, this is a great story for Ferrell and the Raiders. It will go down as a great story for good reasons, or it could also go down as a major mistake.
Expect to see Ferrell embrace the challenge and work harder than ever to prove all the doubters wrong.
Follow Us
Subscribe