If you were to just look at the box score from the last few weeks, it would appear that No. 4 overall pick Clelin Ferrell continues to struggle. He hasn’t had a sack in five-straight games and has recorded just one tackle for a loss.
But that’s why you don’t just look at the box score.
Anyone who has watched the Raiders over the past month knows how much Ferrell has improved since the beginning of the season. He’s been as good or better than fellow rookie defensive end Maxx Crosby. Luckily for us, we now have some data to quantify how good Ferrell has been over the last few weeks.
According to Pro Football Focus, Ferrell had his highest-graded game of the season on Sunday against the Jaguars. He was dominant against the run and created several pressures. Over the last month, he’s been the fifth-highest graded edge defender in the entire NFL. That is quite a leap considering how poorly he graded earlier in the season.
While Ferrell hasn’t produced a ton of sacks this season, he’s been an incredibly well-rounded player as a rookie. After a slow start to the season, there is a lot of optimism surrounding him and his future with the Raiders. If he and Crosby can continue to play at this level, Oakland should be just fine at the defensive end position.
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