In the 2019 NFL draft, to the shock of many, the Las Vegas Raiders selected Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell. But it now appears that general manager Mike Mayock and the Raiders had other players on their radar as well. This includes San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, who went second overall, and New York Jets defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, who went third overall.
During a recent appearance on Green Light with Chris Long, Mayock spoke about how the team approached the fourth overall pick, and how they almost made the move to trade up to add Nick Bosa.
“Thw whole Cle thing, Cle was my guy. The coaching staff really wanted a defensive lineman, we were picking number four that year, in 2019. I knew the first three picks were going to be Kyler Murray one, Bosa two to San Francisco, and Quinnen Williams three to the New York Jets. And then four, Chris, I'm telling you, the morning of the first round, I called John Lynch and tried to move up to two,” said Mayock.
He then added, “Bosa was great, and he told me a variation of what he told (Steve) Keim. He was leaving our building after the top-30 visit and I said, ‘Nick we're picking four, you're not going to be there.' He said, ‘Well then you need to move the f**k up don't you?'.
Mayock then went on to say, “I loved him. He was a little bit chirpy, a little bit cocky. But in a good way. We did, we tried to move up to two but didn't get him. We tried to move up to three to get Quinnen Williams and didn't get him. I tried to trade down.”
While missing out on both Nick Bosa and Williams, the Raiders ultimately selected Ferrell. Both Bosa and Williams have developed into elite presences, but Ferrell has not found the same success.
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